Monitoring and Activity Reporting of Enhanced Media Content

Abstract

A monitoring and analysis system is disclosed that gathers and analyzes information about distributed enhanced content delivery to end user or other equipment. The system may establish communications connections along the content delivery system, filter content received from different locations of the system, and compare the received content with an expected content characteristic. Also, a radio frequency signal from the distribution network may be converted into an Internet Protocol (IP) format by a converter so that the transformed signal may be similarly analyzed as other signals from the system. A report may be consequently generated that is indicative of the received enhanced content and any detected discrepancies with respect to expected enhancement events. Identification of the enhanced content may be based on the program association table and the program map table in order to determine the packet ID of the application signals.

1 . A method comprising:
 determining, by one or more computing devices and from each of a plurality of points in a content delivery network, one or more application signals;   decoding the determined application signals;   generating, based on the decoded application signals, first information associated with an actual enhancement event; and   determining, based on a comparison of the first information and second information associated with an expected enhancement event, one or more differences between:
 actual delivery of enhanced media content, via the content delivery network, indicated by the first information, and 
 expected delivery of the enhanced media content, via the content delivery network, indicated by the second information. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of points is a physical or logical entity associated with a different distribution portion of the content delivery network. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 generating a report indicating the one or more differences and indicating at least one point, of the plurality of points, as a cause of the one or more differences.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first information comprises start and end times of the actual enhancement event. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the second information comprises start and end times of the expected enhancement event. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the determining comprises determining, based on a comparison of the first information and the second information, one or more of:
 a difference between a start time of the actual enhancement event and a scheduled start time of the expected enhancement event, or   a difference between an end time of the actual enhancement event and a scheduled end time of the expected enhancement event.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: filtering, based on whether the determined application signals are associated with enhancement content data, the determined application signals. 
     
     
         8 . An apparatus comprising:
 one or more processors; and   memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to:
 determine, from each of a plurality of points in a content delivery network, one or more application signals; 
 decode the determined application signals; 
 generate, based on the decoded application signals, first information associated with an actual enhancement event; and 
 determine, based on a comparison of the first information and second information associated with an expected enhancement event, one or more differences between:
 actual delivery of enhanced media content, via the content delivery network, indicated by the first information, and 
 expected delivery of the enhanced media content, via the content delivery network, indicated by the second information. 
 
   
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein each of the plurality of points is a physical or logical entity associated with a different distribution portion of the content delivery network. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the apparatus to
 generate a report indicating the one or more differences and indicating at least one point, of the plurality of points, as a cause of the one or more differences.   
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the first information comprises start and end times of the actual enhancement event. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the second information comprises start and end times of the expected enhancement event. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the apparatus to determine the one or more differences by determining, based on a comparison of the first information and the second information, one or more of:
 a difference between a start time of the actual enhancement event and a scheduled start time of the expected enhancement event, or   a difference between an end time of the actual enhancement event and a scheduled end time of the expected enhancement event.   
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the apparatus to
 filter, based on whether the determined application signals are associated with enhancement content data, the determined application signals.   
     
     
         15 . One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed, cause:
 determined, from each of a plurality of points in a content delivery network, one or more application signals;   decoding the determined application signals;   generating, based on the decoded application signals, first information associated with an actual enhancement event; and   determining, based on a comparison of the first information and second information associated with an expected enhancement event, one or more differences between:
 actual delivery of enhanced media content, via the content delivery network, indicated by the first information, and 
 expected delivery of the enhanced media content, via the content delivery network, indicated by the second information. 
   
     
     
         16 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 15 , wherein each of the plurality of points is a physical or logical entity associated with a different distribution portion of the content delivery network. 
     
     
         17 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 15 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause:
 generating a report indicating the one or more differences and indicating at least one point, of the plurality of points, as a cause of the one or more differences.   
     
     
         18 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 15 , wherein the first information comprises start and end times of the actual enhancement event. 
     
     
         19 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 15 , wherein the second information comprises start and end times of the expected enhancement event. 
     
     
         20 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 15 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the determining of the one or more differences by causing determining, based on a comparison of the first information and the second information, one or more of:
 a difference between a start time of the actual enhancement event and a scheduled start time of the expected enhancement event, or   a difference between an end time of the actual enhancement event and a scheduled end time of the expected enhancement event.