Internet streaming media workflow architecture

A method for searching for media on a communications network, comprising:

• searching for the media with at least one search term;
• receiving at least one search result comprising metadata associated with the media;
• extracting the metadata from the at least one search result;
• automatically enhancing the extracted metadata by:
• in a ground truth database, identifying a ground truth metadata record having contents that at least partially match the extracted metadata, and
• verifying the metadata by determining that at least a portion of the contents of the identified ground truth metadata record match the extracted metadata;
• and
• grouping the at least one search result into at least one group, wherein extracted metadata associated with each search result in a group comprise at least one common attribute.

A method indexing media instances accessible on a communications network, comprising:

• identifying a plurality of media instances accessible on the communications network;
• for each identified media instance:
• extracting metadata related to the media instance;
• in a trusted database, identifying a metadata record having contents that at least partially match the extracted metadata;
• and
• enhancing the extracted metadata by adding at least a portion of the contents of the metadata record to the extracted metadata;
• and
• augmenting a media instance search index with the enhanced metadata.

A method in a computing system for causing a processor to search for instances of media artifacts on a communications network, comprising:

• searching for the media with at least one search term;
• receiving at least one search result, each search result comprising metadata associated with a media artifact instance;
• extracting metadata from the at least one search result, the metadata extracted from each search result including an identifier usable to retrieve the search result's media artifact instance;
• automatically verifying the extracted metadata;
• grouping the at least one search result into at least one group, wherein extracted metadata associated with each search result in a group comprise at least one common attribute;
• and
• in each group of search results, identifying subgroups of search results where, for each subgroup, all of the search results of the subgroup have metadata including an identifier usable to retrieve a different instance of the same media artifact.

A method for searching for media on a communications network, the method comprising:

• discovering on the communications network instances of metadata each associated with a media artifact instance, each metadata instance including an identifier usable to retrieve the metadata instance's media artifact instance;
• automatically enhancing the discovered metadata instances;
• grouping the metadata instances into at least one group, wherein metadata instances associated with each search result in a group comprise at least one common attribute;
• and
• in each group of metadata instances, identifying subgroups of metadata instances where, for each subgroup, all of the metadata instances of the subgroup have metadata including an identifier usable to retrieve a different instance of the same media artifact.