Apparatus, systems, articles of manufacture, and methods to identify and credit media using ratios of media characteristics are disclosed herein. Example methods disclosed herein include determining a first ratio based on a first time interval and a second time interval of a plurality of time intervals of a reference media signature, the reference media signature based on a media signal associated with reference media, respective ones of the plurality of time intervals corresponding to respective adjacent characteristics identified in the media signal. Disclosed example methods also include determining a second ratio based on a third time interval and a fourth time interval of the plurality of time intervals of the reference media signature. Disclosed example methods further include generating a reference ratio signature based on the first and second ratios, the reference ratio signature used to identify the reference media.

Methods and apparatus for determining increasing robustness of media signatures are disclosed. An example apparatus includes a characteristic analyzer to determine a first difference between (A) a first characteristic of an audio signal at a first time and (B) a second characteristic of the audio signal at a second time. The apparatus further includes a characteristic enhancer to compare the first difference to a first threshold; at least one of (A) boost the first characteristic of the audio signal at the first time or (B) attenuate the second characteristic of the audio signal at the second time when the first difference does not satisfy the threshold to create an enhanced audio signal; and determine whether a second difference between a third characteristic of the enhanced audio signal at the first time and a fourth characteristic of the enhanced audio signal at the second time satisfies the threshold, the third characteristic corresponding to the first characteristic, the fourth characteristic corresponding to the second characteristic.

In one aspect, an example method to be performed by a vehicle-based media system includes (a) receiving audio content; (b) causing one or more speakers to output the received audio content; (c) using a microphone of the vehicle-based media system to capture the output audio content; (d) identifying reference audio content that has at least a threshold extent of similarity with the captured audio content; (e) identifying a geographic location associated with the identified reference audio content; and (f) based at least on the identified geographic location associated with the identified reference audio content, outputting, via the user interface of the vehicle-based media system, a prompt to navigate to the identified geographic location.

In one aspect, an example method to be performed by a vehicle-based media system includes (a) receiving audio content; (b) causing one or more speakers to output the received audio content; (c) using a microphone of the vehicle-based media system to capture the output audio content; (d) identifying reference audio content that has at least a threshold extent of similarity with the captured audio content; (e) identifying a computational action based at least on the identified reference audio content; and (f) sending, via a network interface of the vehicle-based media system, an instruction that causes an external computing device to perform the identified computational action.

A method for creating a multimedia data search engine platform to allow fast search of multimedia content data elements (MMDEs). The method comprises collecting MMDEs from at least an external source storing MMDEs; generating a plurality of signatures for each of the collected MMDEs; generating signature reduced clusters (SRCs) for the collected MMDEs by clustering the plurality of signatures generated for each of the collected MMDEs; and generating concept structures from the generated SRCs, wherein the concept structures generated for different SRCs are utilized to compare between different MMDEs, thereby searching for an input MMDE that matches the collected MMDEs.

A method for generating a signature is disclosed. As part of the method, a first number of bits are identified in respective rows of an audio signature matrix that are determined to be the strongest bits in the row, bits of the audio signature matrix are replaced with respective cells having values depending on whether the respective bits are included in the first number of bits, a set of uniformly distributed numbers are generated within a range of numbered locations corresponding to cells of the audio signature matrix; numerical distances are determined, from respective numbers in the set of uniformly distributed numbers, to the numbered locations of the matrix, associated with nearest occurrences of a first value. A set of integers is generated based on the distances.

Broadcast signatures (fingerprints) from different sources are compared to distinguish between a known base media item and unknown versions of the known base media item, without prior storage of the unknown altered versions of the known base media item. Field recorders collect and store in buffers signatures found within portions of sequential broadcast content. Mobile devices (users) collect unknown signatures while recording broadcast content. Using a cloud callout routine, the mobile device requests a comparison between the collected unknown signatures and the field recorded signatures. Potential matches can be loose matches, strict matches or comparisons between failed loose comparisons

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.

System and methods are provided for managing use of media feeds in a media player. A media feed may be selected from a plurality of media feeds based on a feedback signal corresponding to an audio output signal of a media player, and a corresponding transmit signal may be configured for transmittal to the media player. The transmit signal may include a plurality of channels, and configuring the transmit signal may include selecting one channel from the plurality of channels based on the feedback signal, and conveying the media feed over the selected channel. The selected channel may be processed to carry the media feed, such as by frequency-modulating the media feed into the selected channel. The feedback signal may be processed, and control information may be determined based on the processing for controlling one or both of the selecting of the media feed and configuring of the transmit signal.

In one aspect, an example method to be performed by a vehicle-based media system includes (a) receiving audio content; (b) causing one or more speakers to output the received audio content; (c) using a microphone of the vehicle-based media system to capture the output audio content; (d) identifying reference audio content that has at least a threshold extent of similarity with the captured audio content; (e) identifying a geographic location associated with the identified reference audio content; and (f) based at least on the identified geographic location associated with the identified reference audio content, outputting, via the user interface of the vehicle-based media system, a prompt to navigate to the identified geographic location.