# US 12,282,508 B2 · Source classification using HDMI audio metadata > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,282,508 B2 - Document ID: US12282508B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/424,795 - Filed: 2024-01-27 - Published: 2024-09-26 - Granted: 2025-04-22 - Earliest claimed: 2019-06-13 - Assignees: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC - Applicants: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC - Inventors: Robert E. Taylor - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12282508B2 ## CPC - G06F 16/683: using metadata automatically derived from the content - G06F 3/165: {Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path} - G06F 18/24: Classification techniques - G10L 19/167: {Audio streaming, i.e. formatting and decoding of an encoded audio signal representation into a data stream for transmission or storage purposes} - G10L 25/30: using neural networks - G10L 25/57: for processing of video signals - G11B 20/00: Signal processing not specific to the method of recording or reproducing; Circuits therefor - H03M 7/30: Compression (speech analysis-synthesis for redundancy reduction G10L19/00; for image communication H04N); Expansion; Suppression of unnecessary data, e.g. redundancy reduction - H03M 7/42: using table look-up for the coding or decoding process, e.g. using read-only memory {(H03M7/4006 takes precedence)} - H04H 60/31: Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services - H04N 21/25891: {being end-user preferences (retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18)} - H04N 21/43635: {HDMI} - H04N 21/44204: {Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched (monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31)} - H04N 21/6582: {Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number (arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38)} - H04N 21/8405: represented by keywords - G11B 2020/00014: {the compressed signal being an audio signal} - G11B 2020/00028: {Advanced audio coding [AAC]} - H04H 60/58: of audio {(determination or detection of speech characteristics in general G10L25/00; speech recognition in general G10L15/00)} - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G10L: SPEECH ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES OR SPEECH SYNTHESIS; SPEECH RECOGNITION; SPEECH OR VOICE PROCESSING TECHNIQUES; SPEECH OR AUDIO CODING OR DECODING - G11B: INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER (recording measured values in a way that does not require playback through a transducer G01D9/00; recording or playback apparatus using mechanically marked tape, e.g. punched paper tape, or using unit records, e.g. punched or magnetically marked cards G06K; transferring data from one type of record carrier to another G06K1/18; circuits for coupling output of reproducer to radio receiver H04B1/20; gramophone pick-ups or like acoustic electromechanical transducers or circuits therefor H04R) - H03M: CODING; DECODING; CODE CONVERSION IN GENERAL (using fluidic means F15C4/00; optical analogue/digital converters G02F7/00; coding, decoding or code conversion, specially adapted for particular applications, see the relevant subclasses, e.g. G01D, G01R, G06F, G06T, G09G, G10L, G11B, G11C, H04B, H04L, H04M, H04N; ciphering or deciphering for cryptography or other purposes involving the need for secrecy G09C) - H04H: BROADCAST COMMUNICATION (multiplex communication H04J; pictorial communication aspects of broadcast systems H04N) - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed for source classification using HDMI audio metadata. An example apparatus includes a metadata extractor to extract values of audio encoding parameters from HDMI metadata obtained from a monitored HDMI port of a media device, the HDMI metadata corresponding to media being output from the monitored HDMI port; map the extracted values of the audio encoding parameters to a first unique encoding class (UEC) in a set of defined UECs, different ones of the set of defined UECs corresponding to different combinations of possible values of the audio encoding parameters capable of being included in the HDMI metadata; and identify a media source corresponding to the media output from the HDMI port based on one or more possible media sources mapped to the first UEC. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus comprising: a processor; and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon program instructions that, upon execution by the processor, cause performance of a set of operations comprising: extracting encoding parameters from high definition multimedia interface (HDMI) metadata obtained from an HDMI port of a media device; generating a mapping of the encoding parameters to unique encoding classes (UECs); and based on the mapping of the encoding parameters to the UECs, and further based on a mapping of the UECs to one or more candidate media sources, identifying one of the candidate media sources as a media source of the HDMI metadata. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprising: correlating the HDMI metadata with at least one panelist of a plurality of panelists. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the HDMI metadata is included in an audio stream output from the HDMI port of the media device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the audio stream output comprises a burst preamble and an encoded preamble. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the audio stream output includes a closed captioning transport stream. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a streaming media asset is represented by the mapping of the encoding parameters to the UECs. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the streaming media asset is a movie or a series episode. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the media source identified is a streaming media source. ### Claim 9 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon program instructions that, upon execution by a processor, cause performance of a set of operations comprising: extracting encoding parameters from high definition multimedia interface (HDMI) metadata obtained from an HDMI port of a media device; generating a mapping of the encoding parameters to unique encoding classes (UECs); and based on the mapping of the encoding parameters to the UECs, and further based on a mapping of each of the UECs to one or more candidate media sources, identifying one of the candidate media sources as a media source of the HDMI metadata. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprising: correlating the HDMI metadata with at least one panelist of a plurality of panelists. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the HDMI metadata is included in an audio stream output from the HDMI port of the media device. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein a streaming media asset is represented by the mapping of the encoding parameters to the UECs. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the media source is a streaming media source. ### Claim 14 A method comprising: extracting encoding parameters from high definition multimedia interface (HDMI) metadata obtained from an HDMI port of a media device; generating a mapping of the encoding parameters to unique encoding classes (UECs); and based on the mapping of the encoding parameters to the UECs, and further based on a mapping of each of the UECs to one or more candidate media sources, identifying one of the candidate media sources as a media source of the HDMI metadata. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising: correlating the HDMI metadata with at least one panelist of a plurality of panelists, a group of the plurality of panelists, or demographics. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the HDMI metadata is included in an audio stream output from the HDMI port of the media device. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the audio stream output includes a closed captioning transport stream. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein a streaming media asset is represented by the mapping of the encoding parameters to the UECs. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein the streaming media asset is a movie or a series episode. ### Claim 20 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the media source is a streaming media source.