Apple patent lets users switch away from broadcast commercials automatically
Apple on Tuesday was granted a patent that allows users to skip unwanted audio and video broadcast segments such as commercials with on-device content like songs, podcasts or other media, possibly hinting at technology headed to the battle for the living room.
Apple's aptly titled U.S. Patent No. 8,249,497 for "Seamless switching between radio and local media" describes a system in which a mobile device will automatically switch between broadcast content and stored media to offer the user a type of customized content consumption experience.
With the new patent, a device will allow a user listening to content from a radio station or "non-radio media or content sources" to skip past the sections they aren't interested in, filling the gap with on-board media instead. Also of interest is that commercials are among the types of content which can be replaced by stored media.
Covered under the invention's umbrella are broadcasts from a "radio stream provided over any communications network," while the stored media can include content saved in a device's memory or from a streaming host device.
Drawing illustrating the patent's portable device. | Source: USPTO
From the patent background:
As far as calculating what a user likes or dislikes, the patent employs comparisons of media items to generate a preference profile, much like the system in place with apps like Pandora. For example, a user can "like" or "dislike" a song and the corresponding metadata will then be included in their preference profile. In another embodiment, the device can keep track of a user's content consumption habits and make guesses as to what they would like in their preference profile. The metadata can be specific media items, such as artists, songs and genres, as well as specific types of media.
Flowchart illustrating switching from unwanted broadcast content to stored media. | Source: USPTO
After the system identifies that an upcoming segment is outside of the preference profile's parameters, the device can look for an appropriate replacement from stored media to play instead. The patent notes that a "relevance algorithm" can be used to keep the stored media in line with content from the broadcast stream. To keep the experience consistent, the device can either monitor the broadcast stream to choose an opportune time to switch away from stored media playback, or buffer the broadcast stream for later consumption.
Flowchart illustrating switching back to broadcast content from stored media. | Source: USPTO
Of particular note is how the patent describes "media":
Apple's aptly titled U.S. Patent No. 8,249,497 for "Seamless switching between radio and local media" describes a system in which a mobile device will automatically switch between broadcast content and stored media to offer the user a type of customized content consumption experience.
With the new patent, a device will allow a user listening to content from a radio station or "non-radio media or content sources" to skip past the sections they aren't interested in, filling the gap with on-board media instead. Also of interest is that commercials are among the types of content which can be replaced by stored media.
Covered under the invention's umbrella are broadcasts from a "radio stream provided over any communications network," while the stored media can include content saved in a device's memory or from a streaming host device.
Drawing illustrating the patent's portable device. | Source: USPTO
From the patent background:
By using metadata from assets like Radio Data System (RDS) data, broadcast listings or published third-party schedules, a device can "determine when an upcoming broadcast segment or media item is not of interest to the user." When such an event is detected, the device will seamlessly switch to stored media until the unwanted content is completed. Also included as methods of discerning what a user may or may not want to consume are analysis of audio or video from the source, akin to current iOS apps Shazam or IntoNow.A user, however, may not be interested in every media item provided as part of a broadcast stream. For example, a user may not like a particular song broadcast by a radio station, or may not like a particular segment of a talk radio station (e.g., the user does not like the topic or guest of the segment). As another example, a user may not be interested in content originally generated by sources other than the media source (e.g., advertisement content). Because the user has no control over the media broadcast, the user can typically only tune to a different media broadcast, or listen to or consume the broadcast content that is not of interest.
As far as calculating what a user likes or dislikes, the patent employs comparisons of media items to generate a preference profile, much like the system in place with apps like Pandora. For example, a user can "like" or "dislike" a song and the corresponding metadata will then be included in their preference profile. In another embodiment, the device can keep track of a user's content consumption habits and make guesses as to what they would like in their preference profile. The metadata can be specific media items, such as artists, songs and genres, as well as specific types of media.
Flowchart illustrating switching from unwanted broadcast content to stored media. | Source: USPTO
After the system identifies that an upcoming segment is outside of the preference profile's parameters, the device can look for an appropriate replacement from stored media to play instead. The patent notes that a "relevance algorithm" can be used to keep the stored media in line with content from the broadcast stream. To keep the experience consistent, the device can either monitor the broadcast stream to choose an opportune time to switch away from stored media playback, or buffer the broadcast stream for later consumption.
Flowchart illustrating switching back to broadcast content from stored media. | Source: USPTO
Of particular note is how the patent describes "media":
Seemingly, Apple is proposing a way to not only transform radio listening, but also television broadcasts. While not specifically noted in the patent and mentioned here only for purposes of discussion, the system could be tweaked for cable which would lend itself nicely to the set-top box Apple is rumored to be shopping around to U.S. providers. Insiders say the cloud-based device is meant to blur the line between live and on-demand television.As used in this application, the term media item will be understood to include any audio or video that can be broadcast by a content source and received by an electronic device for playback. For example, a media item can include music (e.g., a song), a talk show segment, an advertisement, news programming, a podcast, videos, or any other media content that may be provided to a user.
Comments
Content Providers are NOT going to like this.
If this is what Steve Jobs meant when he says he cracked TV, I'm all for it, though.
I think the cable companies sued a box maker for doing something similar this:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18206803
The networks are claiming copyright violations for DISH modifying the broadcast. The end-user can of course do so for their own use, which would include skipping a commercial, but the networks say that the delivery service is obligated to pass thru the content as it was created. In addition they say automatic skipping of commercials violates their contract terms.
In a suit filed Thursday in a Los Angeles federal court, News Corp.'s Fox says Dish's service is unauthorized and violates a licensing agreement between the two companies.
It says the service is a form of unlicensed video-on-demand because the recordings are kept on a portion of the DVR's hard drive that is controlled by Dish. Fox only licenses its regular programs to Dish for playback on VOD on the condition that fast-forwarding of commercials is disabled.
If the service isn't stopped, it "will ultimately destroy the advertising-supported ecosystem" that underpins TV shows, Fox said.
Dish maintains that the service is "user-enabled" and that it is fundamentally no different from how consumers use DVRs today. It filed its suit in a New York federal court.
"Viewers have been skipping commercials since the advent of the remote control," said Dish's senior vice president of programming, David Shull, in a statement. "We are giving them a feature they want and that gives them more control."
Comcast Corp.'s NBCUniversal and CBS Corp. also filed suits against Dish on similar grounds on Thursday.
"Dish simply does not have the authority to tamper with the ads from broadcast replays on a wholesale basis for its own economic and commercial advantage," NBCUniversal said in a statement.
"CBS said in a statement: "This service takes existing network content and modifies it in a manner that is unauthorized and illegal. We believe this is a clear violation of copyright law and we intend to stop it."
This is pretty naughty if they ever do anything with it.
I'm no fan of adverts, but it's a valid business model and I don't like that Apple is trying to undermine it. Offer an alternative, but don't be a jerk in other people's gardens; that's the Google way.
Not sure of the legalities, but this is the type of innovation that makes Apple the world's most valuable company ... ever!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gatorguy
Snip
"If the service isn't stopped, it "will ultimately destroy the advertising-supported ecosystem" that underpins TV shows, Fox said."
Snip
Many adverts that I have "watched" during the past 45 years (I worked in the TV broadcast industry for 20 of those years) are so visually obnoxious that I regard them as an invasion of my privacy. Also, most advertised products simply don't interest my now "minimalist" preferred lifestyle... so I would jump for an Apple system that relieved me of even occasionally having those streams of "buy me now" garbage flashed before my eyes.
Yeah... It's called: ACATT -- All Commercials All The Time.
This is an expansion of a previous patent that Apple was awarded in 2009.
This kind of patent makes more sense to apply to radio initially, people are much more used to context switching and consuming shorter media items.
If a blog post was considered prior art, you can find mine from 2008 at http://alex4d.wordpress.com/2008/12/28/playlists-combining-radio-and-itunes/
Here's a comment I made to a BBC blog:
Quote:
Given that many people use music in different ways during the day, I think it would be useful if BBC Radio could be integrated with playlists in applications (on mobile as well as desktop).
Imagine using your own playlist (or one generated in an app) but choosing what percentage of the playlist is integrated with programmes you enjoy. At the moment daytime radio is playlisted. I'd like to have a on-screen slider that lets me choose what proportion of what I'm listening to is from a radio show and what is from my computer or mobile music player. This would include presenter links and feature items.
Depending on taste and mood and current situation I'd like to choose what proportion of news, sport, music news, weather and travel I'd like to hear. Given my age I'd choose mainly 6Music-style music news over that of Radio 1's music news, but could have the option to hear Radio 4-style news integrated into my dynamically generated playlist.
This would mean that some radio shows could be combined into my playlist would take much longer to listen to - depending on which elements I decide to opt into. Also if the player app knows how long I've been listening, there is no need to play the same radio playlisted music (or news item) as many times.
This would require a lot more metadata in audio feeds - including tagging elements that depend on previous elements. This could include music information back announcements. Knowing dependencies between items would allow dynamic reordering. This would help if listeners wanted to interact with a show. If they click a 'go live' button, they would hear a minute or so of necessary recap (when a presenter asks the audience for contributions via phone or online) before going live to hear the rest of the audience contribute. Conversely, non-live contributions that come in after a show has finished could be integrated in the following days, months and years.
Once consequence would be that you would need an extra member of staff on many shows for live tagging and post show contribution tagging - part of building communities around BBC content.
Trails that pre-announce shows could have an 'combine with my BBCplaylist when available' control, and those promoting items available for what is currently known as 'listen again' could be immediately combined with the current BBCplaylist - playing once the current item has finished.
An advantage of this technology would be that if music show podcasts/rebroadcasts could only include 20 seconds of each track (after a week), the player would play the full track if it is available to the listener (via local storage or other online services).
In practice it might be best to start this process by breaking up popular radio show podcasts to make them available as elements in a current playlist - such as Adam & Joe's from 6Music and Danny Baker and Mark Kermode & Simon Mayo from 5 Live.
As an aside, if music fans have large audio libraries, a BBC-version matching service would give listeners the option to hear the BBC session or live version of songs they already own. This could include video or the soundtrack from videos.
The networks used to broadcast a special tone when a local station could insert their own advertising. Some electronic devices included tone detectors and a "squelch circuit" to eliminate these commercials.
I don't know how it is done today, but, obviously, there is some automated way to do this.
Now, if Apple made a device, like a TV set, with this capability, It could receive the commercials and, optionally play them, or not.
It would be under control of the user. But, the content distributors (broadcast, cable, Internet) could be included in an arrangement where the user paid a fee or subscription to play the content commercial-free.
I think that this would conform to the legalities, support the current advertising model, and support a new non-advertising model.
There could even be a new hybrid business model, If sufficient metadata is available -- the user could automatically play some commercials (local) and skip others (meow-mix).
Playing of commercials could be monitored and feedback given to the content distributors. The user could opt to play the most popular commercials about things that are of current interest to him, e.g. a new car.
If Apple could deliver this capability to the TV set, it would be of interest both the user and content distributors.
Finally, let's not forget that some of the best content on the TV... Is some of the commercials.
ROFL
Originally Posted by geoadm
Wonder if google are going to patent the opposite
Commercials within popup banner commercials… WITHIN regular, full-screen commercials.
I N V E S T I O N
*Bummmm…. Bummmmmm…. Buuuuuummmmmmmm….*
Originally Posted by Crowley
This is pretty naughty if they ever do anything with it.
In Apple's television empire, the only naughty crap is everything the telecoms are doing right now.
Is this stripping out the commercials or an active options by users to skip past an ad, much like on YouTube et al. where after x-many seconds you can choose to continue watching the ad to jump to the content.
Tim: "Les, I've got something I want you to see..."
Tim shows the current CBS broadcast skipping commercials...
Les: "You can't do that -- it violates our contract!"
Tim: "We're not doing it the user is... Besides, you don't have a contract with us -- but you could!"
Les: "We'll, the user can't do that -- it violates our contract!"
Tim: "You don't have a contract with the user -- but you could"
Les: "How would I negotiate it, track it and get paid?"
Tim: "We'll take care of all that and send you a weekly/daily check and tracking data!"
Tim: "As part of the deal we can provide aggregate data and stats for content, commercials and demographics... Have a look at this nice map of the demos and preferences for Hoboken.."
Les: "Umm.... Umm... Umm..."
Tim: "We can also provide these demos in real-time as the content is airing..."
Les: "Umm.... Umm... Umm..."
Sent from my iPad
Apple should work on blocking any Google based advertising via Safari on iOS devices and replacing it with thumbnails from iCloud or your camera roll...
...now that I'd like to see.
iOS users would still have the "choice" to opt in to using Chrome and other Google services if they want to participate in Google's monetization schemes.
A Click2Google plugin... I love it!
After all is said and done...
They're going to pay us to watch their commercials!
Originally Posted by Dick Applebaum
Ya' know...
After all is said and done...
They're going to pay us to watch their commercials!
And WE will get to decide what commercials live and what commercials die (seriously, a rating system).
Like this one. Hey, look! Samsung is copying Apple by releasing absolutely terrible commercials!