Methods and apparatus to validate a tag for media are disclosed. An example method includes obtaining first identification information extracted from a tag distributed with media presented at a presentation location, obtaining second identification information determined from at least one of a) inherent information of at least one of audio or video of the media presented at the presentation location or b) a watermark embedded in at least one of the audio or the video of the media presented at the presentation, comparing the first identification information with the second identification information, and when first identification information does not substantially match the second identification information, preventing the tag from being used to report exposure of the media.

A device configured to receive a request, from a server, to provide frequency code information identifying a frequency code. The frequency code includes frequencies to be emitted by a broadcasting device that presents a first content. The device may generate a code based on the request. The device may receive a second content from the server. The device may store the second content and the code so that the second content is associated with the code. The device may generate the frequency code information based on the code. The device may provide the frequency code information for the frequency code to be emitted by the broadcasting device. The device may receive the code from a listening device that detected the frequency code emitted by the broadcasting device. The device may provide the second content associated with the code to the listening device.

Music is blanket transmitted (for example, via satellite downlink transmission) to each customer's user station where selected music files are recorded. Customers preselect from a list of available music in advance using an interactive screen selector, and pay only for music that they choose to playback for their enjoyment. An antipiracy WID tag is woven into the recorded music so that any illegal copies therefrom may be traced to the purchase transaction. Music is transmitted on a fixed schedule or through an active scheduling process that monitors music requests from all or a subset of satellite receivers and adjust scheduling according to demand for various CD's. Receivers store selections that are likely to be preferred by a specific customer. In those instances where weather conditions, motion of atmospheric layers or dish obstructions result in data loss, the system downloads the next transmission of the requested CD and uses both transmissions to produce a good copy. In conjunction 20 with the blanket transmission of more popular music, an automated CD manufacturing facility may be provided to manufacture CD's that are not frequently requested and distribute them by ground transportation.

Example methods disclosed herein to monitor media presented by a media device include adjusting, with a circuit, an inbound audio signal input to the media device based on (i) a level of an outbound audio signal generated by the media device and (ii) a level of the inbound audio signal to produce an adjusted inbound audio signal. Such disclosed example methods also include combining, with the circuit, the adjusted inbound audio signal with a sampled version of the outbound audio signal to determine a return signal. Such disclosed example methods further include processing the return signal to determine first identification information to identify first presented media having an audio portion corresponding to the outbound audio signal generated by the media device.

Systems and methods are provided for monitoring transmissions of media content (such as audio and audiovisual content) in order to obtain independent and objective data regarding the use of specific media content recordings or works within the transmissions. Processing and reporting of such data is provided in various ways to serve a variety of business needs. Methods for employing content identification technology to efficiently and automatically obtain reliable, accurate, and precise monitoring data are also disclosed. Various information products and services based on such monitoring systems are proposed.

A main screen renders watermarked content. A remote device captures a watermark and extracts a payload comprising a layout type, displays possible answers according to the layout type and receives a response from a user. The remote device captures a further watermark and extracts a payload comprising a correct answer, a ratio value and a token value. If the correct answer is equal to the answer received from the user, the remote device generates a comparison value, compares the comparison value and a ratio value extracted from the payload and, if the comparison between the comparison value and the ratio value indicates that remote device has been selected, displays a message intended to a user. The remote device can further generate a value from at least the token value and display this value as proof of being selected.

Example methods disclosed herein include associating a first data pattern obtained from a first sequence of watermarks detected by a first media monitor at a first time with a first transmission of first media when the first sequence of watermarks include a first identifier associated with the first media. Disclosed example methods also include associating a second data pattern obtained from a second sequence of watermarks detected by the first media monitor at a second time with a second transmission of the first media when the second sequence of watermarks include the first identifier associated with the first media. Disclosed example methods further include comparing a third data pattern obtained from a third sequence of watermarks detected by a second media monitor with the first and second data patterns to determine whether the second media monitor monitored the first transmission or the second transmission of the first media.

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed selectively generating and storing hashed reference signatures. An example method disclosed herein determining whether watermark coverage of a first media segment satisfies a dropout constraint, the first media segment corresponding to a first monitoring time interval of a media source feed and, when the watermark coverage of the first media segment does not satisfy the dropout constraint hashing first media signatures associated with the first media segment to generate corresponding first hashed signatures and generating first reference data for the first media segment, the first reference data including the first hashed signatures and the first media signatures. The example method further includes, when the watermark coverage of the first media segment satisfies the dropout constraint, generating second reference data for the first media segment, the second reference data including the first media signatures.

Encoding and decoding methods and apparatus are described. An example method is described for embedding information into audio by determining a first set of frequency components to represent a synchronization block, the synchronization block representing one of a plurality of different message types, one frequency component from each set of frequency components being located in a respective code band, and spacing between adjacent code bands is equal to or less than the spacing between adjacent frequency components of each code band. Determining amplitudes of respective ones of the first set of frequency components representing the synchronization block based on a masking ability of an audio block of the audio. Synthesizing the first set of frequency components representing the synchronization block to determine a first set of synthesized code frequency components, based on the determined amplitudes. Combining the first set of synthesized code frequency components with the audio block.

Methods and apparatus to audio watermarking and watermark detection and extracted are described herein. An example method includes receiving a media content signal, sampling the media content signal to generate samples, storing the samples in a buffer, determining a first sequence of samples in the buffer, determining a second sequence of samples in the buffer, wherein the second sequence of samples is of substantially equal length as the first sequence of samples, calculating an average of the first sequence of samples and the second sequence of samples to generate an average sequence of samples, extracting an identifier from the average sequence of samples, and storing the identifier in a tangible memory.