Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture to extend a time range supported by a watermark are disclosed. Example watermark encoding apparatus disclosed herein determine which one of a plurality of timestamp cycles is to be represented by a timestamp of a watermark. Disclosed example apparatus also swap at least two symbols of the watermark when the timestamp is to represent a second one of the timestamp cycles, but do not swap the at least two symbols of the watermark when the timestamp is to represent a first one of the timestamp cycles. Disclosed example apparatus further embed the watermark in a first piece of media.

A media presentation and distribution system communicatively coupled to a client device is provided. The client device receives a media stream from the media presentation and distribution system via a network. The media stream includes media content and one or more tags. The client device further identifies in the received media content, the one or more tags, which corresponds to the overlay-graphic items. The client device further identifies candidate time-periods in the media content based on the one or more tags in the media content. At least one presentation attribute for the overlay-graphic items is identified based on the one or more tags in the media content. The client device further presents the overlay-graphic items at the candidate time-periods on the media content based on a degree of correlation between the identified tag in the media content and a corresponding context for the media content at the candidate time-period.

In one aspect, a method is for use in connection with a content-modification system that includes a content-distribution system and a content-presentation device. The method includes (i) identifying an upcoming content modification opportunity on an identified channel, wherein the identifying is based on detecting a match between first reference fingerprint data representing an initial portion of a first modifiable content-segment and query fingerprint data representing content transmitted by the content-distribution system to the content-presentation device; and (ii) responsively: (a) using the first reference fingerprint data as a basis to select second reference fingerprint data representing more than an initial portion of a second modifiable content-segment, and (b) transmitting to the content-presentation device, third reference fingerprint data representing more than the initial portion of the first modifiable content-segment and the second reference fingerprint data, to facilitate the content-presentation device to, at a later time, perform an action.

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.

Techniques are described for integrated sharing of media playback interactions (MPIs). Responsive to consumer interactions with media content during playback of a media file, embodiments can produce MPIs corresponding to the consumer's changes in the playback presentation of the content. The MPIs can be associated with the media file as one or more sharable embedded MPIs (EMPIs). A consumer can share the media file with its associated EMPIs. When the same or a different consumer subsequently accesses the content from the media file, embodiments permit playback of the content with selective access to the EMPIs. For example, a first consumer can share media content with its associated EMPIs, thereby permitting a second consumer control over which portions of the media content are played back with and without experiencing the first consumer's EMPIs.

Methods and system for providing content based on an embedded signal are disclosed. A method can comprise generating a placement signal based on an event, repeatedly embedding the placement signal into a data stream, and transmitting the data stream comprising the repeatedly embedded placement signal.

A media presentation device determines a voice command associated with media content presented by the media presentation device. The media presentation device then listens for and detects utterance of the determined voice command during presentation of the media content, and the media presentation device responds to the detected utterance by performing an action that facilitates user purchase of the good or service associated with the media content segment.

A method and system for using steganographically-encoded time information as a basis to control when a client carries out a content-related action. The client processes for presentation one or more linear media streams, each defining a respective time sequence of frames of media content, and at least one of the streams being steganographically encoded with at least one watermark at a respective time-point within the linear media stream, the watermark encoding a timestamp of the respective time-point within the linear media stream according to a server clock. The client extracts the timestamp from the watermark and computes a time offset based on a difference between the extracted timestamp and a current time according to a client clock. And the client uses the computed time offset as a basis to determine when the client should carry out a content-related action in a given one of the one or more linear media streams.

A method and system for dynamically watermarking media content based on transport-stream metadata, to facilitate action by a downstream entity. An intermediary in a media-distribution path could receive a transport stream carrying media content and carrying metadata that is not watermarked in the media content. The intermediary could then obtain from the transport stream the metadata that is not watermarked in the media content and could modify the media content at least by encoding into the media content a watermark that represents the obtained metadata. And the intermediary could then output at least the modified media content for transmission to a downstream entity. The downstream entity could thus obtain from the watermark in the media content the metadata and could use the metadata to facilitate carrying out one or more useful actions.

In one aspect, a method is for use in connection with a content-modification system that includes a content-distribution system and a content-presentation device. The method includes (i) identifying an upcoming content modification opportunity on an identified channel, wherein the identifying is based on detecting a match between first reference fingerprint data representing an initial portion of a modifiable content-segment and query fingerprint data representing content transmitted by a content-distribution system to a content-presentation device, wherein the first reference fingerprint data was generated before the query fingerprint data was generated; and (ii) responsive to identifying the upcoming content modification opportunity, transmitting to the content-presentation device, second reference fingerprint data representing more than the initial portion of the modifiable content-segment to facilitate the content-presentation device to, at a later time, continue performing a content-modification operation related to the identified content modification opportunity.