Internet streaming media workflow architecture

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

• searching for said media with at least one search term;
• receiving at least one search result comprising metadata associated with said media;
• extracting said metadata from said at least one search result;
• enhancing automatically said extracted metadata;
• and
• grouping said 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,
• said step of extracting comprising providing at least one of said at least one search result to a format specific media extractor compatible with media comprising at least one of an extension selected from the group consisting of .ram, .rm, rpm, .mov, qif .wma, .cmr, .avi, .swf, .swl .mpg, .mpa, .mp1, .mp2, .mp3, .m3a, and .m3u.

A computer system for searching for media on a computer network, said computer system comprising at least one computer, all computers in said system being communicatively coupled to each other, wherein each of said at least one computer includes at least one program stored therein for allowing communication between each and every of said at least one computer, each of said at least one program operating in conjunction with one another to cause said at least one computer to perform the steps of:

• searching for said media with at least one search term;
• receiving at least one search result comprising metadata associated with said media;
• extracting said metadata from said at least one search result;
• automatically enhancing said extracted metadata by:
• in a ground truth database, identifying a ground truth metadata record having contents that at least partially match said extracted metadata, and
• enhancing said metadata by copying at least a portion of the contents of the identified ground truth metadata record to said extracted metadata;
• and
• grouping said 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 program readable medium having embodied thereon a program for causing a processor to search for instances of media artifacts on a communications network, said program readable medium comprising:

• means for causing said processor to search for said media with at least one search term;
• means for causing said processor to receive at least one search result, each search result comprising metadata associated with a media artifact instance;
• means for causing said processor to extract metadata from said 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;
• means for causing said processor to automatically enhance said extracted metadata;
• means for causing said processor to group said 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
• means for, 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 identifier usable to retrieve a different instance of the same media artifact.

A data signal embodied in a carrier wave for searching for instances of media artifacts on a communications network, said program readable medium comprising:

• a search code segment for searching for said media with at least one search term;
• a receive code segment for receiving at least one search result, each search result comprising metadata associated with a media artifact instance;
• an extract code segment for extracting metadata from said 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;
• an enhance code segment for automatically enhancing said extracted metadata;
• a group code segment for grouping said at least one search result into at least one group, wherein extracted metadata associated with search results in a group comprise at least one common attribute;
• and
• a subgroup identification code segment for, 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 identifier usable to retrieve a different instance of the same media artifact.

A data signal embodied in a carrier wave comprising:

• a search code segment for searching for said media with at least one search term:
• a receive code segment for receiving at least one search result comprising metadata associated with said media;
• an extract code segment for extracting metadata from said at least one search result;
• an enhance code segment for automatically enhancing said extracted metadata;
• and
• a group code segment for grouping said at least one search result into at least one group, wherein extracted metadata associated with search results in a group comprise at least one common attribute,
• said extract code segment comprising a provide search result code segment for providing at least one of said at least one search result to a format specific media extractor compatible with media comprising at least one of an extension selected from the group consisting of .ram, .rm, .rpm, .mov, .qif .wma, .cmr, .avi, .swf, .swl .mpg, .mpa, .mp1, .mp2, .mp3, .m3a, and .m3u.