The present invention refers to a method and a system for identifying by an identifying application, a specific piece of audio content played back by a streaming application based on modulating the specific piece of audio content with an audio watermark comprising an identification number. In response to said identification, additional content corresponding to the specific piece of audio content is rendered on a mobile device of a user. The present invention further discloses various details regarding the way the audio watermark is modulated onto a carrier signal given by the piece of audio content and regarding how the process of identifying a specific piece of content is performed which allows to significantly increase the reliability, speed and security of such a method and system based on the watermarking technology.

Methods and apparatus to perform audio watermarking and watermark detection and extraction are disclosed. Example apparatus disclosed herein are to select frequency components to be used to represent a code, different sets of frequency components to represent respectively different information, respective ones of the frequency components in the sets of frequency components located in respective code bands, there being multiple code bands and spacing between adjacent code bands being equal to or less than the spacing between adjacent frequency components in the code bands. Disclosed example apparatus are also to synthesize the frequency components to be used to represent the code, combine the synthesized frequency components with an audio block of an audio signal, and output the audio signal and a video signal associated with the audio signal.

Methods and apparatus to audio watermarking and watermark detection and extracted are described herein. Disclosed example methods to decode a watermark from an audio signal include averaging a second sequence of audio samples stored in a buffer with a first sequence of audio samples stored in the buffer to determine an averaged sequence of audio samples, the second sequence of audio samples being related to the first sequence of audio samples based on a repetition period associated with watermark data of the watermark to be decoded. Disclosed example methods also include determining whether to enable a stacker. Disclosed example methods further include, in response to the stacker being enabled, decoding the watermark from the averaged sequence of audio samples, and in response to the stacker being disabled, decoding the watermark from the first sequence of audio samples.

A portable device uses a microphone to listen to ambient audio, ascertains a corresponding identifier, and uses the identifier to enable one or more further functions. One of these can be internet search. Such functionality can also be based on digital datawithout requiring a microphone-equipped device.

A method of processing supplementary content in a digital receiver is discussed. The method includes connecting to an external input source being different from a broadcaster; receiving uncompressed A/V content from the external input source being different from the broadcaster; extracting audio watermark from the uncompressed A/V content; wherein the audio watermark includes domain type information, time information and event flag; constructing a first URL based on the domain type information, the time information and the event flag included in the audio watermark; transmitting an HTTP request to a remote server based on the first URL; receiving a second URL for the supplementary content from the remote server; and presenting the supplementary content based on the second URL.

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture to measure exposure to streaming media are disclosed. An example apparatus includes a video retriever to retrieve an image displayed by a media device presenting the streaming media, the media device separate from the video retriever. A metadata extractor is to extract a video watermark from the retrieved image. A metadata converter is to, in response to the extraction of the video watermark, convert the video watermark into text formatted metadata. A transmitter is to transmit the text formatted metadata to a central facility.

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture (e.g., physical storage media) to utilize audio watermarking for people monitoring are disclosed. Example people monitoring methods disclosed herein include determining, at a user device, whether a first trigger condition for emitting an audio watermark identifying at least one of the user device or a user of the user device is satisfied. Such example methods also include, in response to determining that the first trigger condition is satisfied, providing a first audio signal including the audio watermark to an audio circuit that is to output an acoustic signal from the user device.

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture (e.g., physical storage media) to utilize audio watermarking for people monitoring are disclosed. Example people monitoring methods disclosed herein include determining, at a user device, whether a first trigger condition for emitting an audio watermark identifying at least one of the user device or a user of the user device is satisfied. Such example methods also include, in response to determining that the first trigger condition is satisfied, providing a first audio signal including the audio watermark to an audio circuit that is to output an acoustic signal from the user device.

Systems and methods for estimating media audience are disclosed. In one aspect, a method includes receiving a media signal to be transmitted via a media distribution system, the media signal including multiple pieces of media content that each contain video and audio signals. One of the multiple pieces of media content within the received media signal are identified. It is determined that the identified piece of media content exceeds a threshold length, and, in response to determining that the identified piece of media content exceeds a threshold length, the audio signal of the identified piece of media content is encoded with a sequence of discrete codes. Each discrete code has a period that includes a set of sequential frequency components imperceptible to humans. The threshold length is greater than the period of a discrete code multiplied by the number of discrete codes in the sequence.

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture to perform audio sensor selection in an audience metering device are disclosed. An example apparatus includes at least two audio sensors to receive audio at an audience metering device and a selection tester to identify a plurality of audio sensor configurations supported by the audience metering device, the plurality of audio sensor configurations identifying respective gain values to be applied to the plurality of audio sensors. The selection tester is further to select one of the first one of the audio sensor configurations or the second one of the audio sensor configurations based on a comparison of a first quality metric and a second quality metric. The example apparatus further includes a media identifier to identify audio received at the audience metering device using the selected one of the audio sensor configurations.