AU756583B2 - Audience measurement system for digital television - Google Patents

Description

3

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 DIVISIONAL APPLICATION NAME OF APPLICANT: Nielsen Media Research, Inc ADDRESS FOR SERVICE: DAVIES COLLISON CAVE Patent Attorneys 1 Little Collins Street Melbourne, 3000.

INVENTION TITLE: "Audience measurement system for digital television" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of *performing it known to us:* -1- -2- AUDIENCE MEASUREMENT SYSTEM FOR DIGITAL TELEVISION Technical Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the measurement of audiences of digitally broadcast television programming and to the measurement of usage of other information services provided to the audiences.

Background of the Invention SOf the many approaches to measuring the usage of electronic entertainment equipment (commonly called 10 "tuning" data), one approach involves the addition of an identifying code to a radio or television program, the distribution of the identifying code with the program throughout the relevant broadcasting system, and the detection and interpretation of the identifying code when the broadcast signal is viewed or heard in a statistically selected monitoring site. An example of a system which implements this type of measurement approach may be found in the following patents: U.S. Patent No. 5,481,2- 94 to Thomas et al., who describe, inter alia, identifying codes added to the vertical blanking interval of an 3 NTSC television broadcast; U.S. Patent No. 5,629,739 to Dougherty, who is particularly concerned with the addition of an identifying code to a low energy portion of the audio spectrum of an NTSC signal; and U.S. Patent No. 5,404,377 to Moses, who teaches an audio encoding arrangement using signal masking to decrease the perceptibility of the identifying code. The disclosures of U.S. Patent No. 5,481,294, U.S. Patent No. 5,629,739, and U.S. Patent No. 5,404,377 are herein incorporated by reference.

'Another approach to measuring usage of electronic entertainment equipment involves the extraction of a characteristic feature signature (or characteristic feature signature set) from the programming selected for e 15 viewing, and the storing of a time-stamped signature (or signature set) in a memory for subsequent transmission to a central data collection office where the signature (or signature set) is compared with corresponding reference signatures collected by the central office from known broadcasting sources. This approach is taught by Lert and Lu in U.S. Patent No.

4 4,677,466. The teaching of U.S. Patent No. 4,677,466 is herein incorporated by reference.

Yet another approach to the measurement of the usage of electronic entertainment equipment has been that of comparing the viewed signal (or some component or artifact thereof) with all the signals available to a sampled household at the time the measurement is made. A review of apparatus and methods useful for this measurement approach is found in the teachings of Thomas et al.

in U.S. Patent No. 5,629,739 and of Lu et al. in U.S.

Patent No. 5,594,934. The teachings in U.S. Patent No.

5,594,934 and in U.S. Patent No. 5,629,739 are herein incorporated by reference.

Wheeler, et al., in U.S. Application Serial No.

.:e.ei 08/786,270, filed on January, 22, 1997, teach a video signal source detection arrangement which determines the source of a video and/or audio signal being displayed by *a television receiver. The arrangement implements a variety of tuning measurement approaches. For example, it can be used to read an identifying ancillary code transmitted with television programming, to obtain characteristic feature signatures from television program- 5 ming, or to obtain a signal that is matched with a contemporary reference signal obtained by a television tuner controlled by measurement equipment. The disclosure of the aforementioned U.S. Application Serial No. 08/786,270 is herein incorporated by reference.

Chan, in U.S. Application Serial No. 08/654,30- 9, filed on May 28, 1996, teaches a sensor arrangement for non-intrusively obtaining a representation of video and synchronization signals from a television receiver.

The disclosure of the aforementioned U.S. Application Serial No; 08/654,309 is herein incorporated by reference.

Changes in the methods of measuring the reception of television or radio programming are required because of a planned change-over from analog to digital broadcasting. In the the change-over is scheduled to be phased in by the year 2006, as documented in the Federal Communication Commission's Mass Media Docket 87- 268, with particular reference to the Fifth Report and Order, FCC 97-116, April 3, 1997 and to the Sixth Report and Order, FCC 97-115, April 3, 1997. Some of the changes, and their respective impacts on approaches used 6 for measuring analog broadcasts, include the following: digital broadcast techniques do not use a vertical blanking interval and, therefore, the program tracking and identifying codes that are written in the vertical blanking interval of analog broadcast signals will not be transmitted; multiple signal formats and associated multiple display formats having, among other features, differing height-to-width ratios and different resolutions are allowed, so that existing video signal correlation methods used with analog broadcasts may essentially be disabld .because these methods depend on having the *same pictorial feature appear at corresponding places on the measured and reference displays; a broadcaster can transmit as many as six programs (arrayed as a se- 2 15 quence of data packets, where each data packet is labeled as to which of the programs' data is carried therein) within an assigned 6 MHZ frequency band by trading off pictorial resolution for an increase in the number of programs so that digital signal compression methods used to decrease the spectrum space required by a program destroy program identifying codes embedded in an original, high-resolution, program master, and (ii) determin- 7 ing which channel has been tuned by a receiver does not uniquely identify a program being viewed if more than one program is being transmitted in that channel; and, (4) data other than television broadcasting may be co-transmitted in the same channel and, in some cases, it is expected that the other data will be related in some manner to the co-transmitted programming so that a viewer can interact with the TV programming to obtain a program guide or detailed information on an advertised product, to automatically switch to a desired program, or to take part in an audience-participation program).

It may be noted that, although projected digital signal compression and transmission methods destroy the types of video codes used in, and suggested for, the prior-generation analog broadcasting approaches, it is .*.expected that less change will be encountered with respect to audio codes. That is, because the audio component of a television broadcast comprises much less information than does the video, there is much less to be gained by applying signal compression methods to audio.

Nonetheless, it is expected that various audio compression methods may be employed. These methods include 8 those defined by the Dolby AC-3 or the European MUSICAN standards, or those defined by some yet-to-be-defined standard operable within the relatively open and flexible MPEG arrangement. Although the coding approaches taught in the aforementioned U.S. Patent No. 5,404,377 are known to survive the Dolby AC-3 and MUSICAN compression methods, compression methods other than Dolby AC-3 and MUSIC- AN may destroy these codes. Moreover, although the change in technology may obviate the use of some of the codes, such as those described above, other codes digital data packet codes telling a receiving site which of several interleaved programs is associated with a given data packet) are expected to be broadcast both with television programming and with any co-transmitted data 4 that are related to, and intended to be used in conjunction with, one or more of the programs.

4.

In addition to changes in transmission equipment and signals, considerable changes are expected in reception equipment. Notable among these are both the use of set top signal converters (generally referred to as set top boxes) allowing a digital broadcast to be viewed on an analog receiver, and a projected convergence 9 of television receivers and computers. In the short term, for example, it is expected that digital receivers, configured as plug-in boards for personal computers, will be used to enable the display of digital television signals on the computers.

Another traditional measurement reflected in television audience reporting has been the determination of who actually viewed the program that was received by the equipment being monitored in a statistically selected monitoring site. A related measurement of interest is the identification of users of on-line services, such as on-line services provided over the Internet. Also, it is clear that measuring the members of an audience in a statistically selected monitoring site who are interactively using a television and/or accessing the Internet, and the information delivery apparatus used to deliver information to the members, will continue to be important.

By far the most commonly used approach in making these measurements is that of interrogation, wherein the viewer and/or Internet user is asked to identify himself or herself as a member of the television audience P:\OPER\SSB2444209diV.doc-03/0/01I the prompting message is displayed on a portion of a display separated from the portion of the display devoted to television picture.

Many arrangements have been proposed in the computer arts for reliably identifying a user so that only selected individuals can secure access to some of the data on a computer or computer system. The most common of such arrangements is that of requiring the user to enter both his or her claimed identity along with a password. Other arrangements have included the use of various biometric techniques, such as image or voice recognition devices.

Additionally, it is well known in the audience measurement arts to use computer-based image recognition in order to identify members of a viewing audience. Notable among teachings in this area is that by Lu in U.S. Patent No.

4,858,000. The teaching of this patent is herein incorporated by reference.

4 2 Summary of the Invention According to the invention there is provided a television audience measurement system for digital television equipment, wherein the digital television equipment is disposed in a statistically selected location, the television audience measurement system comprising: 25 a software agent adapted to read, from a data packet contained in digital television programming, a datum identifying a television program, wherein the software agent is stored in memory associated with the digital television equipment; an interface and communication apparatus adapted to transmit the identification datum to a remotely located central office.

According to embodiments of the present invention, a television audience measurement system identifies a viewer selected television program from among a plurality of television programs simultaneously broadcast in a broadcast P:\OPER\SSB244I4209div.dc-03/0d&0 I -11channel. In these embodiments: The television audience measurement system comprises a channel detector and a comparitor.

The channel detector detects the broadcast channel in which the plurality of television programs is broadcast.

The comparitor sequentially compares an audio component of the plurality of television programs broadcast in the detected broadcast channel with an audio signal of the viewer selected television program so as to identify the viewer selected television program.

According to embodiments of the present invention, a television audience measurement system identifies a viewer selected television program from among a plurality of television programs broadcast as a time division multiplexed sequence of data packets in a broadcast channel. In these embodiments: The viewer selected television program is displayed on a television display in a statistically selected location.

The television audience measurement system comprises receiving means, acquiring means, recovering means, and comparing means.

The receiving means receives the time division multiplexed sequence of data packets in the broadcast channel. The acquiring means acquires an audio portion of S.the viewer selected television program.

The recovering means recovers audio components respectively corresponding to the television programs contained in the sequence of data packets.

The comparing means compares the audio components to the audio portion in order to determine the viewer selected television program.

According to other embodiments of the present invention, a television audience measurement system measures viewing of a television program viewed on digital television located in a statistically selected site and comprises P:\OPER SSB444209diV.d-03/O810 -12detecting means, extracting means, a software agent, and selecting means. In these embodiments: The detecting means detects an audio code embedded in the television program in order to identify the television program.

The extracting means attracts an audio signature from the television program in order to identify the television program.

The software agent is arranged to identify the television program.

The selecting means selects at least one of the detecting means, the extracting means, and the software agent in order to identify the television program.

According to embodiments of the present invention, a method is provided to identify a television program selected by a viewer from a set of television programs broadcast as multiplexed data packets in a viewer selected broadcast channel. In these embodiments: The viewer selected television program is e.o.

20 displayed on a display portion of an apparatus tuned to the viewer selected broadcast channel. The method comprises the following steps: a) determining the viewer selected broadcast channel; b) acquiring an audio portion of the viewer selected television program; c) selecting an audio component associated with one of the set of television programs broadcast in the viewer selected broadcast channel; d) comparing the audio portion with the audio component in order to determine whether the audio portion and the audio component match; e) if the audio portion and the audio component match, storing a tuning record from at least one of the audio portion and the audio component; and, f) if the audio portion and the audio component P:\OPERSSB24U209div.doc.038jUI1 13 do not match, selecting a different one of the television programs from the set of television programs and repeating steps through until either a match is found or the set of television programs is exhausted.

According to other embodiments of the present invention, a method is provided to identify a viewer selected television program from among a plurality of time overlapped television programs broadcast in a viewer selected broadcast channel. In these embodiments: The viewer selected television program is displayed in a first window of a multi-window television display.

A data file, logically related to the viewer selected television program, is also broadcast in the viewer selected channel so as to be time overlapped with the viewer selected television program.

The viewer selected television program and the "data file contain respective labels indicative of the logical relation.

Data from the data file is displayed in a second window of the multi-window display.

The method comprises the following steps: a) reading, from the data file, the respective data file label and an identifying datum; b) finding, from the logical relation, the 25 television program label associated with the respective data ***file label; and, c) storing a time-stamped record comprising the identifying datum.

**According to other embodiments of the present invention, a software agent is stored in memory associated with the digital television equipment. In these embodiments: The software agent is arranged to acquire television audience measurement data relative to the digital television equipment. The software agent comprises first, second, and third logging means.

The first logging means logs a television program P:OPERUSSBU2444209div.dx-03)l I -14identification datum identifying a television program selected for viewing on the digital television equipment.

The second logging means logs a co-transmitted identification datum associated with data co-transmitted with the television program selected for viewing on the digital television equipment.

The third logging means logs an Internet identification datum associated with an Internet task of the digital television equipment.

Brief Description of the Drawings These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from a detailed consideration of the invention when taken in conjunction with the drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram depicting typical digital television broadcasting and reception equipment; S" Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram depicting an audio-based tuning measurement system which is usable with either digital or analog broadcasting and which is in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention; 15 Figure 3 is a schematic block diagram depicting a tuning measurement system which employs a software agent resident in some of the monitored receiving equipment and which is in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 is a schematic block diagram depicting the use of digital source detection in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 is a schematic block diagram depicting the use of digital source detection in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention; *:*Figure 6 is a schematic block diagram depicting the use of data ports on various television viewing equipment in order to measure television related data in .oe.oi accordance with a fifth embodiment of the present invention; and, Figure 7 is a flow chart depicting the operation of a software agent of the present invention.

Detailed Description of the Invention A typical digital television broadcasting environment, which is planned during a transition period in 16 which both digital and analog programs are transmitted, may comprise some combination of the elements depicted in Figure 1. Network programming, and other non-local programming, is provided to a local television station from a broadcast station over a communication medium 12, such as a satellite, or terrestrial digital transmission lines, or the like. Local programming is also provided to the local television station 10 from some mixture of high definition television (HDTV) cameras 14 (which may employ a variety of formats), standard definition digital video cameras 16 (which may employ a variey of resolutions and aspect ratios), and analog sources comprising ioo both analog video cameras 18 those compatible with the prior generation NTSC broadcast standard), and cinema film sources 20 that have historically been converted to the NTSC standard by means of well known telecine 22.

S..

The signals from the analog video cameras 18 and from the cinema film sources 20 are input to an A/D converter 24 having an appropriate digital output. The outputs from the A/D converter 24, from the communication medium 12, from the high definition television (HDTV) cameras 14, and/or from the standard definition digital 17 video cameras 16 are provided to a switchinc and rcu-z apparatus 26. The switching and routing apparaz passes selected ones of the signals provided tc i :c hro gh digital compression equipment 28 prior to beinz brradcast from the station's transmitter 30. The s:ta::ic' transmitter 30 may also include an antenna, a sa:rellie dish, a cable modem, or the like.

In addition, a cable headend 31 (which is shown as a single cable provider but which may represent a plurality of cable providers) receives signals over the air, from'satellite distribution, or the like, and distributes the signals (with or without reformatting) by way of regular cables, optical fibers, microwaves, or the like.

15 The digital transmission from the local television station 10 and/or from the cable headend 31 may be p. directly received and displayed in a statistically selected monitoring site 32 by a digital television set 34.

*ppp The digital transmission also may be directly received and converted by a digital converter 36 (commonly configured as a set top box or STB) into an analog output (e.gin the NTSC format) for use by an analog television 18 set 38 purchased by a viewer prior to the chanoe-over digital programming. The digital transmissi-o.. f may be directly received and displayed by a personal computer 40 that has a digital receiver 42 providin: a baseband video output signal that the personal compzer:can show in one of the windows 44 defined on -i display unit 46. The digital receiver 42, for examnle, could be a plug in board of the personal computer 40 or integrated on the motherboard. The personal computer 1 0 also may have speakers 47, a keyboard 48, and a mouse or other pointing device known in the art.

Moreover, the digital transmission may be di- 9 rectly received and converted by a digital converter 52 to a form useable by a digital television set 54. For 15 example, the digital converter 52 may be used for payper-view television programming, video-on-demand televi- 9 sion programming, satellite programs, and/or other services provided to the statistically selected monitoring site 32. The digital transmission also may be directly received and converted by a digital converter 56 to a form useable by a simple monitor 58. In either of these two cases, the digital television viewing can be measured 19 by means of metering technologies similar to the set top box and an analog television configuration described below.

In addition to the direct reception of the digital transmission by apparatus dedicated solely to that purpose the digital television set 34 and/or the personal computer 40), it is expected that a variety of yet-to-be-defined consumer electronic apparatuses will be configured that incorporate at least some of the features of both a digital or analog television receiver and o* a home computer.

6* *e A first embodiment 60 of the present invention, *6 which measures tuning to digital television programming received in a statistically selected monitoring site 62, 15 is depicted schematically in Figure 2. The first embodiment 60 measures such tuning by detecting program identification codes and/or extracting signatures from the audio portion of the television signal to which a re- 4 00 *Do* ceiver is tuned. This audio portion is detected by a detector 64 in the case of a digital television set 66, and by a detector 68 in the case of an analog television set 70. The detector 64 may detect the audio portion of 20 a program to which the digital television se:t T is e by non-intrusively detecting the sound provided by a speaker 72 of the digital television set 66 (in w:hch case the detector 64 may be a microphone) or by r sively detecting the audio signal from a direct connection to the speaker, the audio output terminals, or the audio processing circuitry of the digital television se: 66. Similarly, the detector 68 may detect the audio portion of a program to which the analog television set 70 is tuned by non-intrusively detecting the sound provided by a speaker 74 of the digital television set 66 or by intrusively detecting the audio signal from a direct connection to the speaker, the audio output terminals, or the audio processing circuitry of the analog television set 70. The analog television receiver 70 is provided with a digital converter 76, which may be similar to the digital converter 36 of Figure 1.

The audio portion of a television program may also be detected by a detector 78 when the television program is played by a personal computer 80 on a monitor 82 and speakers 84. The detector 78 may detect the audio portion of a program to which the personal computer 80 is 21tuned by non-intrusively detecting the sound provided by the speakers 84 or by intrusively detecting the audio signal from a direct connection to the speaker, the audio output terminals, or the audio processing circuitry of the personal computer As has been taught by Thomas et al., in U.S.

Patent No. 5,629,739, a representation of the audio portion picked up by the detector 64 can be analyzed by a site unit (SU) 86 and/or a home unit (HU) 88 (which may be provided with data storage and forwarding unit capability) within the statistically selected monitoring site •c 62 in order to determine if the audio portion from the digital television set 66 contains television program identification codes. Alternatively, the representation of the audio portion picked up by the detector 64 can be ~analyzed at a remotely located data collection central S. office 90 in order to determine if the audio portion from the digital television set 66 contains such television program identification codes. The remotely located data collection central office 90 is schematically depicted as a computer based data collection central office that interchanges data with the home unit 88 over a communica- 22 tion network 92, such as a public switched telephone network, the Internet, or the like.

Similarly, a representation of the audio portion picked up by the detector 68 can be analyzed by a site unit 94 and/or the home unit 88 in order to determine if the audio portion from the analog television set contains television program-identifying codes, and a representation of the audio portion picked up by the detector 78 can be analyzed by a site unit 96 and/or the home unit 88 in order to determine if the audio portion from the personal computer 80 contains television program-identifying codes. Alternatively, the represen- K"tation of the audio portions picked up by the detectors oeoo 68 and 78 can be analyzed at the remotely located data 15 collection central office 90 in order to determine if the oo i oo audio portions from the analog television set 70 and the personal computer 80 contain television program identifi- *a cation codes.

Moreover, a person identifier 98 may be proo vided in order to identify the persons watching television programming on the digital television set 66. The person identifier 98 may be video camera, an IR camera, 23 or the like. When such equipment is available in the statistically selected monitoring site 62, the site unit 86 may employ known head location and face recognition software as taught by Lu in U.S. Patent No.

4,858,000) for the identification of the viewing persons and for the collection of other demographic data. Similarly, person identifiers may be provided in order to identify the persons watching television programming on the analog television set 70 and on the personal computer Instead of analyzing the representations of the audio portions picked up by the detectors 64, 68, and 78 order to determine if the audio portions from the o corresponding digital television set 66, analog television set 70, and personal computer 80 contain television program-identifying codes, characteristic signatures can o .be extracted from these representations for subsequent comparison, either in the statistically selected monitoring site 62 or in the central office 90, with previously collected reference signatures in order to identify the television programs to which the digital television set 24 66, the analog television set 70, and the personal computer 80 are tuned.

Programs played by VCRs on the digital television set 66, on the analog television set 70, and on the personal computer 80 can be identified using either the code or the signature technique. Thus, if the programs being played carry program identification codes that are preserved through the process of recording and replay in the case of time shifted viewing, or that are recorded in the programs stored on tapes to be rented or sold, the program iadntification codes can be detected at the time that the programs are played so that the audiences of the S"programs may be measured. However, if the programs being played are non-encoded programs, or if the program identification codes are lost during the recording C"e process), then the embodiments of the present invention described herein can determine the programs being viewed, when the tapes are played, by extracting characteristic signatures from these programs and by matching the extracted signatures to reference signatures stored in a reference signature database. In this case, searching can be optimized by the use of well known hashing techniques.

Although the present invention may use either the code technique or the signature technique in order to measure audiences of programs played on digital television equipment, the present invention may use both of these two techniques so that one of the techniques backs up the other in the event that the one technique is unable to identify a viewer selected television program.

For example, signatures are extracted and matched in order to identify a viewer selected television program only if identifying codes cannot be detected. As a further alternative, the present invention may use both of these two techniques simultaneously. Demographic data may also be collected in connection with the present 15 invention.

o: It may be noted that, although the first embodiment 60 measures the great majority of the overall audience, it is not arranged to measure interactive features co-transmitted advertising detail) that are expected to be part of the digital broadcasting environment. Therefore, an important feature of the following embodiment is that it measures interactive features.

26- Accordingly, a second embodiment 200 of the present invention is provided as shown in Figure 3. The second embodiment 100 measures tuning to digital television programming in connection with a statistically selected monitoring site 102. As will be apparent from the discussion below, this second embodiment 100 may include some or all of the features of the first embodiment as well as the new features described below in connection with the second embodiment 100.

According to this second embodiment 100, tuning data, and'possibly demographic data, are collected from digital television reception equipment that includes processing equipment preferably having adequate non-volaoo tile or battery-backed memory available so that an algo- 15 rithm, hereinafter referred to as a software agent, can ar be stored thereon. The digital television reception equipment of the second embodiment 100 may include a personal computer 104 which may be similar to the personal computer 40 of Figure 1, (ii) a digital converter 106 which may be similar to the digital converter 36 of Figure 1, (iii) an analog television set 108 operating in 27 response to the digital converter 106, and a digital television set 110.

One or more software agents of the second embodiment 100, as disclosed in greater detail hereinafter, monitor operating tasks in order to create time-stamped records containing tuning and/or other data regarding operation of the particular pieces of equipment in which the software agents are resident. Such monitored operating tasks may be, for example, messages passed from a remote or other control operated by a user to a tuner or other program selector in order to select a television ~program being broadcast in a channel, messages passed from a controller of processing equipment to a tuner in *order to select a television program being broadcast in a channel, or the like. Although software agents are ex- ~pected to be able to effectively eavesdrop on data traf- S.fic passing though their hosts' data ports, the use of software agents would not fully measure tuning at viewing *sites unless each item of television equipment at those sites has a respective software agent within it so that a complete set of operating tasks can be captured.

28 Accordingly, a software agent 112 is included in the digital converter 106. The software agent 112 monitors operating tasks in order to create time-stamped records containing tuning and/or other data regarding operation of the digital converter 106 in which the software agent 112 is resident. Thus, the software agent 112 detects, for example, a message relating to selection of a television program being broadcast in a selected channel. From this detected message, the identity of the selected television program may be determined. The software agent 112 is also arranged to eavesdrop on data traffic passing though its host's input/output data port 114, and to communicate over the input/output data port 114. Accordingly, programs to which the analog television set 108 is tuned may be detected through use of the software agent 112. The software agent 112 may be downloaded over a communication medium 116 to the digital converter 106 by use of the input/output data port 114.

Alternatively, the software agent 112 may be a plug in, may be resident on a floppy disk, or the like.

Similarly, a software agent 118 is included in the digital television set 110. The software agent 118 29 monitors operating tasks associated with the digital television set 110 in order to create time-stamped records containing tuning and/or other data regarding operation of the digital television set 110 in which the software agent 118 is resident. The software agent 118 is also arranged to cooperate with its host's input/output data port 120. A software agent 122 is included in the personal computer 104. The software agent 122 monitors operating tasks associated with the personal computer 104 in order to create time-stamped records containing t.ning and/or other data regarding operation of the personal computer 104 in which the software agent :-"122 is resident. The software agent 122 is also arranged to cooperate with its host's input/output data port 124.

Moreover, a person identifier 126 may be pro- S"vided in order to identify the persons watching television programming on the personal computer 104. As in the case of the person identifier 98, the person identifier "126 may be video camera, an IR camera, or the like, and may be provided with any or all of the viewing equipment shown in Figure 4.

30 The software agents 112, 118, and 122 may be telecommunication enabled so that television audience data from all the viewing sites in the statistically selected monitoring site 102 can be communicated, via the Internet, a public telephone system, or the like, to a locally located or remotely located intermediate data collector 128 and then to a remotely located central office 130 through a communication channel 170. The intermediate data collector 128 can be flexibly located either at the same statistically selected monitoring site 102, or at a remotely located site 166, or at the central .f office 130. For this purpose, the input/output data ports 114, 120, and 124 may be serial ports, parallel ":ports, universal serial buses (USB), firewires (according to IEEE 1394), or the like. The data transfer may, for example, be structured as a background task and take the form of a sequence of data packets, each of which is emailed or otherwise communicated to the remotely located "intermediate data collector 128 during pauses in a user's on line sessions or at any other time. The intermediate data collector 128, for example, may be a computerized data collector or an Internet service provider. Alterna- 31tively, the intermediate data collector 128 may be a home unit, in which case, the intermediate data collector 128 may be located within the statistically selected monitoring site 102 and may itself be arranged to communicate tuning and demographic data via e-mail or other communication to the central office 130.

The software agent 122 additionally may monitor the personal computer 104 for interactive uses such as Internet usage through logging of Universal Resource Locators, URLs), application software usage, and televisio viewing supported by the personal computer oo 104. Similarly, to the extent that the digital converter 106 and the digital television set 110 are web-enabled, the software agents 114 and 118 may monitor interactive uses such as Internet usage through logging of URLs) and application software usage, as well as televi- '.[.sion viewing.

r ~Because not all equipment that is encountered by a research firm doing television audience research, at least during the early part of the digital television broadcasting era, will be compatible with the software agent approach discussed above, the second embodiment 100 32of the measurement system of the present invention may be arranged to include many or all of the features found in the first embodiment As described above, the first embodiment measures the great majority of the overall audience by detecting the programs to which receivers are tuned by detecting program identification codes embedded in the programs, and/or by extracting signatures of the programs being viewed and by comparing the extracted signatures to reference signatures. Moreover, the second embodiment 100 measures not only the overall audience, but also interactive features provided with the programming. The embodiments described below are specifically arranged to measure, in an efficient manner, the digital television S 15 viewing data where multiple television programs are present in a common digital transmission channel of 6 -MHZ), particularly where a digital television set does not have an accessible operating system with which a software agent can reside. The first embodiment 60 is also useful where there is no I/O interface on the television set so that there is no easy way to read data from the television set.

33 Figure 4 depicts a third embodiment 200 of the invention in which a statistically selected monitoring site 202, during the transition period when both analog and digital broadcasting occur, includes, for example, a first viewing site 204, a second viewing site 206, and a third viewing site 208. The first viewing site 204 includes a digital converter 210 connected to an analog television set 212. The audio portion of a program to which the analog television set 212 is tuned is detected by a detector 214. The detector 214 may detect this audio portion by non-intrusively detecting the sound *o provided by a speaker 216 of the analog television set 212 or by intrusively detecting the audio signal from a direct connection to the analog television set 212.

A probe 218 is provided to detect the interme- *o diate frequency signal of the digital converter 210. A -signal processor 220 demodulates the detected intermediate frequency signal to the baseband bit stream contained in the detected intermediate frequency signal, and then demultiplexes the baseband bit stream to recover the audio portion of the baseband bit stream.

34 A comparitor 222 may be arranged to first determine whether there is a program identification code in the audio detected by the detector 214. If there is a program identification code in the audio detected by the detector 214, this program identification code identifies the program to which the analog television set 212 is tuned and is, therefore, logged. If there is no program identification code in the audio detected by the detector 214, the comparitor 222 then scans the audio portion of the baseband bit stream provided by the signal processor 220 in oraer to detect the audio in a first program contained in the intermediate frequency signal detected by the probe 218. The comparitor 222 compares this audio to the audio data from the detector 214. If there is a match, the program to which the digital converter 210 is tuned is known from the information provided by the signal processor 220. If there is no match, the comparitor 222 then scans the audio portion of the baseband bit stream provided by the signal processor 220 in order to detect the audio in a second program contained in the intermediate frequency signal detected by the probe 218, and so on until the comparitor 222 detects a match. Once 35 a match is found, the major and minor channel numbers of the matched channel are known, and the corresponding program identifying ancillary code can be read from the corresponding data packet.

The second viewing site 206 includes a digital television set 224. The audio portion of a program to which the digital television set 224 is tuned is detected by a detector 226. The detector 226 detects this audio portion by non-intrusively detecting the sound provided by a speaker 228 of the digital television set 224 or by intrusively detecting the audio signal from a direct ~connection to the digital television set 224.

A probe 230 is provided to detect the intermediate frequency signal of the digital television set 224.

A signal processor 232 operates similarly to the signal processor 220 in order to provide the audio portion of the baseband bit stream in the intermediate frequency signal detected by the probe 230. A comparitor 234 operates similarly to the comparitor 222 in order to first determine whether there is a program identification code in the audio detected by the detector 226 and, if there is not, to scan the audio portion of the baseband bit 36stream provided by the signal processor 232 until a match is found.

The third viewing site 208 includes a personal computer 236. The audio portion of a program to which the personal computer 236 is tuned is detected by a detector 238. The detector 238 detects this audio portion by non-intrusively detecting the sound provided by speakers 240 of the personal computer 236 or by intrusively detecting the audio signal from a direct connection to the personal computer 236.

A probe 242 is provided to detect the intermeo o diate frequency signal of the personal computer 236. A signal processor 244 operates similarly to the signal *.":processor 220 in order to provide the audio portion of 15 the baseband bit stream in the intermediate frequency signal detected by the probe 242. A comparitor 246 operates similarly to the comparitor 222 in order to first *999 determine whether there is a program identification code in the audio detected by the detector 238 and, if there 9999 is not, to scan the audio portion of the baseband bit stream provided by the signal processor 244 until a match is found.

37 The comparitors 222, 234, and 246 provide their program identification codes from the audio or from the data packet, and/or match information to a home unit 248, which may be provided with data storage and forwarding unit capability, within the statistically selected monitoring site 202. A remotely located data collection central office 250 is schematically depicted as a computer based data collection central office that interchanges data with the home unit 248 over a communication network 252, such as a public switched telephone network, the Interiet, or the like. Moreover, a person identifier .ooo 254 may be provided in order to identify the persons 5• S"watching television programming on the digital television set 224. As in the case of the person identifier 98, the *ego*: 15 person identifier 254 may be video camera, an IR camera, ~or the like, and may be provided for any or all of the viewing equipment shown in Figure 4.

st Alternatively, instead of using intermediate frequency probes for the probes 218, 230, and 242, local 55t5 oscillator probes may be used. A local oscillator probe may be employed to initially identify the channel tuned by its associated television receiver, which offers a 38 significant speed advantage in the measurement. That is, because channel detection apparatus normally operates much faster than does audio signal comparison apparatus, the program determination process can be carried out in a hierarchical fashion in which the broadcast channel is first determined from the local oscillator signal by the signal processors 220, 232, and 244 (assuming that a program identification code is not first detected) Then, the comparitors 222, 234, and 246 sequentially tune to the programs co-transmitted in the detected broadcast channel aiind -compare the audio portion of the tuned program to the audio data from detectors 214, 226, and 238 in order to identify the program in the broadcast channel. In this way, the comparitors 222, 234, and 246 are not required to sequentially tune through all of the 0" .programs in all of the available channels in order to determine the tuned program.

A still further alternative is provided by a fourth embodiment 300 of the invention shown in Figure 20 The fourth embodiment 300 is used in a statistically selected monitoring site 302 having a first viewing site 304, a second viewing site 306, and a third viewing site 39 308. The first viewing site 304 includes a dicita cnverter 310 connected to an analog television set 312.

The audio portion of a program to which -he analo television set 312 is tuned is detected by a detector 34.

3 The detector 314 may detect this audio cortion b\ nonintrusively detecting the sound provided by a speaker 3 of the analog television set 312 or by intrusively detecting the audio signal from a direct connection to the audio processing circuitry of the analog television set 312.

A scanning receiver 318 is arranged to sequentially tune to each of the programs carried in each broadcast channel to which the digital converter 310 may i: be tuned, and to provide an audio portion of each such program to a comparitor 320. The comparitor 320 may be arranged to first determine whether there is a program 4 identification code in the audio detected by the detector 314. If there is a program identification code in the audio detected by the detector 314, this program identi- S 20 fication code is logged because it identifies the program to which the analog television set 312 is tuned. If there is no program identification code in the audio 40 detected by the detector 314, the comDartor 320 :'he compares the audio portion of a first program prcvided bv the scanning receiver 318 to the audio data from the detector 314. If there is a match, the program c whic digital converter 310 is tuned is known from the information provided by the scanning receiver 31S. Once a match is found, the major and minor channel numbers of the matched channel are known, and the corresponding program identifying ancillary code can be read from the corresponding data packet.

If there is no match, the comparitor 320 compares the audio portion of a second program provided by the scanning receiver 318 to the audio data from the detector 314, and so on until the comparitor 320 detects a match. A demographic input 322 may be used to provide demographic data to the comparitor 320 which couples this demographic data, and time, with the program to which the digital converter 310 is tuned as a tuning record. The demographic input 322, for example, may be the well know 20 Peoplemeter with which people currently identify themselves manually when they are viewing a program displayed on a television set.

41- The second viewing site 306 includes a digital television set 324. The audio portion of a program to which the digital television set 324 is tuned is detected by a detector 326. The detector 326 detects this audio portion by non-intrusively detecting the sound provided by a speaker 328 of the digital television set 324 or by intrusively detecting the audio signal from a direct connection to the digital television set 324.

A scanning receiver 330 is arranged to sequentially tune to each of the programs carried in each broadcast* 6 hannel to which the digital television set 324 may be tuned, and to provide an audio portion of each oooo such program to a comparitor 332. The comparitor 332 may be arranged to first determine whether there is a program identification code in the audio detected by the detector 326. If there is a program identification code in the audio detected by the detector 326, this program identification code is logged because it identifies the program to which the digital television set 324 is tuned. If 20 there is no program identification code in the audio detected by the detector 326, the comparitor 332 then compares the audio portion of a first program provided by 42 the scanning receiver 330 to the audio data from the detector 326. If there is a match, the program to which the digital television set 324 is tuned is known from the information provided by the scanning receiver 330. If there is no match, the comparitor 332 compares the audio portion of a second program provided by the scanning receiver 330 to the audio data from the detector 326, and so on until the comparitor 332 detects a match.

Moreover, a person identifier 334 may be provided in order to identify the persons watching television progiamming on the digital television set 224. As ~in the case of the person identifier 98, the person ideno tifier 254 may be video camera, an IR camera, or the ~like, and may be provided for any or all of the viewing equipment shown in Figure 4. The comparitor 332 couples the identities of the persons watching the digital television set 324, and time, with the program to which the digital television set 324 is tuned as a tuning record.

The third viewing site 308 includes a personal computer 336. The audio portion of a program to which the personal computer 336 is tuned is detected by a detector 338. The detector 338 detects this audio portion 43 by non-intrusively detecting the sound provided by speakers 340 of the personal computer 336 or by intrusively detecting the audio signal from a direct connection to the personal computer 336.

A scanning receiver 342 is arranged to sequentially tune to each of the programs carried in each broadcast channel to which the personal computer 336 may be tuned, and to provide an audio portion of each such program to a comparitor 344. The comparitor 344 may be arranged to first determine whether there is a program identification code in the audio detected by the detector 338. If there is a program identification code in the audio detected by the detector 338, this program identification code is logged because it identifies the program to which the personal computer 336 is tuned. If there is no program identification code in the audio detected by the detector 338, the comparitor 344 then compares the audio portion of a first program provided by the scanning receiver 342 to the audio data from the detector 338. If there is a match, the program to which the personal computer 336 is tuned is known from the major and minor channel numbers indicated by the match. If there is no 44 match, the comparitor 344 compares the audio portion of a second program provided by the scanning receiver 342 to the audio data from the detector 338, and so on until the comparitor 344 detects a match. The comparitor 344 couples time with the program to which the personal computer 336 is tuned as a tuning record.

The comparitors 222, 234, and 246 provide their tuning records to a home unit 346, which may be provided with data storage and forwarding unit capability, within the statistically selected monitoring site 302. A remotely located data collection central office 348 is schematically depicted as a computer based data collection central office that interchanges data with the home unit 346 over a communication network 350, such as a public switched telephone network, the Internet, or the S" like.

It is likely that many, if not all, digital television sets, digital converters, and like digital equipment will have data ports that will provide output 20 viewer-selected program information for use in consumer devices connected to the data ports. In connection with digital televisions, a data port is likely to provide, 45 for example, the full major channel ATSC bitstream and information on virtual channels that may include analog or digital major channel selection, program (minor channel) selection, physical source (TV, VCR, DVD, etc.) identification, and the like. In connection with digital converters set top boxes), a data port is likely to provide, for example, the full ATSC bitstream and information on virtual channels that may include analog or digital major channel selection, program (minor channel) selection, vertical blanking interval data reinserted on.the correct line and field of analog signals, and the like.

:Accordingly, a fifth embodiment 400 of the present invention is provided as shown in Figure 6. The fifth embodiment 400 measures tuning to digital televi- •sion programming in connection with a statistically secoo* lected monitoring site 402. The fifth embodiment 400 may include some or all of the features of the previously described embodiments.

20 The fifth embodiment 400 permits tuning data, and possibly demographic data, to be collected from digital television reception equipment that includes a 46 personal computer 404, (ii) a digital converter 406, (iii) an analog television set 408 operating in response to the digital converter 406, and a digital television set 410.

The digital converter 406 has a data port 412.

A site unit 414 reads and stores the full ATSC bitstream, the analog or digital major channel selection, the program selection, vertical blanking interval data, and/or the like data available at the data port 412 in order to determine the program selected for viewing on the analog televisionhset 408 as well as any other desired and available information. Moreover, the site unit 414 may be arranged to collect demographic data related to the viewers in the audience of the program selected for viewing on the analog television set 408. For example, the site unit 414 may collect demographic data from a person identifier, a Peoplemeter, or the like, as discussed above. All such data may be uploaded over a communication medium 416, which may be a wire, a power line, and IR link, an RF modem, or the like.

Similarly, the digital television set 410 has a data port 418. A site unit 420 reads and stores the full 47major channel ATSC bitstream, the major channel selection, the program selection, physical source identification, and the like data available at the data port 418 in order to determine the program selected for viewing on the digital television set 410 as well as any other desired and available information. Moreover, the site unit 420 may be arranged to collect demographic data related to the viewers in the audience of the program selected for viewing on the digital television set 408. For example, the site unit 420 may collect demographic data from a person identifier, a Peoplemeter, or the like, as discussed above. All such data may be uploaded over a communication medium 421.

Also, the personal computer 404 has a data port 422. A site unit 424 reads and stores the full major S" channel ATSC bitstream, the major channel selection, the program selection, and the like data available at the 0* data port 422 in order to determine the program selected for viewing on the personal computer 404 as well as any other desired and available information. Moreover, a person identifier 426 may be provided in order to identifythe persons watching television programming on the 48personal computer 404. As in the case of the person identifier 98, the person identifier 426 may be video camera, an IR camera, or the like, and may be provided with any or all of the viewing equipment shown in Figure 6. All program and demographic data may be uploaded over a communication medium 427.

The site units 414, 420, and 424 may be telecommunication enabled so that television audience data from all the viewing sites in the statistically selected monitoring site 402 can be communicated, via the Internet, a publidc -telephone system, or the like, to a locally located or remotely located intermediate data collector 428 and then to a remotely located central office 430 through a communication channel 470. The intermediate data collector 428 can be flexibly located either at the S" same statistically selected monitoring site 402, or at a remotely located site 466, or at the central office 430.

C.

For this purpose, the site units 414, 420, and 424 may be provided with serial ports, parallel ports, universal S 20 serial buses (USB) firewires (according to IEEE 1394), or the like. The intermediate data collector 428, for example, may be a computerized data collector or an 49- Internet service provider. Alternatively, the intermediate data collector 428 may be a home unit, in which case, the intermediate data collector 428 may be located within the statistically selected monitoring site 402 and may itself be arranged to communicate tuning and demographic data via e-mail or other communication to the central office 430.

A software agent 500 is shown in Figure 7. The software agent 500 can be used for any of the software agents 112, 118, and 122. As shown at a block 502 of the software agent 500, the software agent 500 copies the current operating task. If the current operating task e uses a packet of television programming as determined at a block 504, the software agent 500 at a block 506 determines whether the data packet has a decodable packet o *label including a decodable program identification code, name, or other indicia. This program identification data packet is expected to be a feature of digital television programming, particularly if multiple programs are packed simultaneously as minor channels in a broadcast channel in a digital broadcasting environment, and is expected to identify the program tuned by the monitored television.

50 If the data packet does not have a decodable packet label, the software agent 500 at a block 508 causes the ON state of the monitored viewing equipment to be logged, provided that this ON state is a new status for the monitored viewing equipment and the monitored viewing equipment is ON. The balance of the measurement system the audio signal methods employed by any of the other embodiments 60, 200, and 300 described above) is relied on in order to identify the tuning. Program flow then returns to the block 502 to await the next operating task.

On the other hand, if the data packet does have a decodable packet label, the software agent 500 determines at a block 510 whether the packet label from the data packet of the current operating task is the same as o the packet label previously determined by the software agent 500. If so, there is no need to store the packet label unless it is merely indicative of continued viewing to an already identified television program. Accordingly, program flow returns to the block 502 to await the next operating task. However, if the packet label from the data packet of the current operating system task is 51not the same as the packet label previously determined at the block 506, the software agent 500 at a block 512 logs the identification of the television program as contained in the program label and also logs the time. Program flow then returns to the block 502 to await the next operating task.

If the current operating task does not use a packet of television programming as determined at a block 504, the software agent 500 at a block 514 determines whether the current operating task is a command to other monitored'equipment a command to the digital television receiver 110 to tune a different channel and to S"select a particular one of the N programs being broadcast ~in that channel). If the current operating task is a command to other monitored equipment, the software agent 500 at a block 516 logs as much detail as is available the command itself, the identity of the issuer of the command, and the identity of the recipient of the command) in memory, and program flow returns to the block 502.

If the current operating task is not a command to other monitored equipment, the software agent 500 at a 52 block 518 determines if co-transmitted data data that is related to one of the television programs being broadcast in a channel and that is transmitted during the same time interval as the program) has been selected by a viewer. Co-transmitted data may comprise a guide to other available television programming, catalog-like details on products being advertised on the co-transmitted program, and the like. Some of these proposed uses of co-transmitted data will be configured so that one can infer what program is being viewed from a URL or other label that logically links the co-transmitted data to the television program. Accordingly, the software agent 500 Sat a block 520 searches the header portion of a task for such URL or other label, and logs such URL or other label that is found. Thereafter, program flow returns to the block 502.

If co-transmitted data has not been selected by a viewer, the software agent 500 at a block 522 determines if the user of the equipment has directed his or *e* 20 her browser, or other communication software, to access an internet page (assuming that the monitored viewing equipment being monitored is configured so that it has 53 access to the Internet or other on-line service). If the user of the equipment has directed his or her browser, or other communication software, to access an internet page, the software agent 500 at a block 524 searches for a URL or other label, and logs such URL or other label that is found. Thereafter, program flow returns to the block 502. If the user of the equipment has not directed his or her browser, or other communication software, to access an internet page, program flow returns to the block 502.

As an example of the use of a software agent as describe above, consider the case of a person in a sta- .e :tistically selected monitoring site who is viewing a ~digital television program and who sees an interesting product being advertised. It is expected that the person *eo will have the capability to request more data on that product by means of a simple mouse-click operation. This

S.

data, for example, will either be a subset of the data providing the displayed advertisement, or will be cotransmitted subsequently in the signal of the television program that the person has selected for viewing. This data would then be displayed in a separate window on the 54 multi-windowed display being used for television viewing.

An additional set of data could then be obtained by clicking on a hypertext link element of the initially displayed data. This action would result in downloading the desired additional data over the Internet. A software agent installed in this viewing equipment could thus log not only what program was being viewed, but could also supply additional marketing research data on the consumer's use of in-program advertising.

In addition to providing a device for monitoring tuning activity, the software agent of the present "eas. invention can be used to collect demographic data relative to the monitored viewing. In a manual approach to So ~the collection of demographic data, the software agent i.: could generate a status and prompting display in one window of the viewing equipment requiring a viewer or user to input the appropriate demographic data. This status and prompting display window could have an appear-

S.C.

ance similar to that provided by the peoplemeter hardware 20 widely used in contemporary audience measurements and that displays a status reminder light for each occupant of a statistically selected monitoring site. However, in 55 the comparable windowed display arrangement, the name of each occupant could be shown along with a status indicator.

If the software agent is used with a personal computer that can receive digital television programming, a variety of more nearly automatic and less intrusive approaches (from the television viewer's perspective) could be used to collect persons data and update a tiled status display. For example, it is well known to identify an individual user of a manual input device (such as a keyboard or a mouse) of a computer by the characteristic rates of data entry and pauses between data entries.

In a television audience measurement, in which the occupant population to be monitored is very small, measurements of this sort should be expected to be highly accu- "s rate. Moreover, an increasing number of personal computers have video cameras associated with them, so that the user of the computer can engage in video conferences by telephone. When such equipment is available in a statis- 20 tically selected monitoring site, a software agent comprising known head location and face recognition software as taught by Lu in U.S. Patent No. 4,858,000) can 56 be employed for the identification persons and the collection of demographic data.

Certain modifications of the present invention have been discussed above. Other modifications will occur to those practicing in the art of the present invention. For example, the software agents 112, 118, and 122, as described above, monitor operating tasks.

The operating tasks may be operating system events of the operating systems used by the equipment in which the software agent is resident. Indeed, the software agents 112, 118, and 122 may monitor any function of the monitored equipment as long as the desired data is collected.

Also, a statistically selected monitoring site according to each of the embodiments of the invention, as 15 described above, includes certain viewing equipment as eeoc well as certain monitoring equipment. However, it should be understood that a statistically selected monitoring site according to the present invention may include any combination of the equipment incorporated in the embodiments described above, as well as other and/or different equipment.

57 Moreover, the software agent 500 describe above can be generic so that it can be used wih an\" piece of equipment with which it is compatibl e, or i ma\ be specialized for each particular apparatus in which i is used. Also, the software agent 500 may be arrange:d i detect the all window activities conducted by an audience.

Furthermore, although not shown in Figures the digital television reception equipment of the embodiments shown therein may further include auxiliary digital television equipment such as a VCR, a digital video disk player, a video game,-or other entertainment systems.

Additionally, as described above, program iden- Stification codes are detected in order to identify tele- 15 vision programs. However, television programs may be identified by any indicia such as program names. Moreover, an internet page may be identified by its address or by an identification code or name or label or, in the case of an advertisement on the Internet, by its banner.

Therefore, any indicia from which a television program or content associated with a television program may be iden- 58 tified is referred to herein generically as an identification datum.

Moreover, the home units 248 and/or 346 may be referred to herein as intermediate data collectors.

Accordingly, the description of the present invention is to be construed as illustrative only and is for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the best mode of carrying out the invention. The details may be varied substantially without departing from the spirit of the invention, and the exclusive use of all modifications which are within the scope of the appended claims is reserved.

Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" and "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps.

9 The reference to any prior art in this specification is 20 not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgment or any ooooi **.form of suggestion that that prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in Australia.

Claims (29)

1. A television audience measurement system for digital television equipment, wherein the digital television equipment is disposed in a statistically selected location, the television audience measurement system comprising: a software agent adapted to read, from a data packet contained in digital television programming, a datum identifying a television program, wherein the software agent is stored in memory associated with the digital television equipment; an interface and communication apparatus adapted to transmit the identification datum to a remotely located central office.

2. The television audience measurement system of claim 1 wherein the digital television equipment comprises a receiver having a tuner, a microprocessor, memory, an operating system, and a video display unit. ooo•

3. The television audience measurement system of claim 1 wherein the digital television equipment is a set top box providing an analog television signal to an analog receiver.

4. The television audience measurement system of claim 1 wherein the digital television equipment comprises a set top box providing a digital television signal to a digital receiver.

5. The television audience measurement system of claim 1 wherein the digital television equipment comprises a set top box and a monitor.

6. The television audience measurement system of claim 1 wherein the digital television equipment comprises a personal computer provided with a television receiver. P:%OPER1SSBI444209div.doc-03M i1

7. The television audience measurement system of claim 1 wherein the digital television equipment includes a VCR.

8. The television audience measurement system of claim 1 wherein the digital television equipment includes a digital versatile disk player.

9. The television audience measurement system of claim 1 further comprising a person identification apparatus.

The television audience measurement system of claim 1 wherein the identification datum is a program identification code of a television program.

11. The television audience measurement system of claim 1 wherein the identification datum comprises a program name.

12. The television audience measurement system of claim 1 wherein the identification datum comprises an address of an Internet page.

13. The television audience measurement system of claim 1 *wherein the identification datum comprises an identification code of an Internet page.

14. The television audience measurement system of claim 1 wherein the identification datum comprises a banner of material viewed by an audience.

The television audience measurement system of claim 1 wherein the identification datum comprises a signature extracted from a television program viewed on the digital television equipment.

16. The television audience measurement system of claim 1 PAOPER\SSB\242O42V doc-3ddO -61- wherein the software agent is arranged to detect window activities conducted by an audience.

17. The television audience measurement system of claim 1 wherein the interface and communication apparatus includes a serial port.

18. The television audience measurement system of claim 1 wherein the interface and communication apparatus includes a parallel port.

19. The television audience measurement system of claim 1 wherein the interface and communication apparatus includes a universal serial bus.

The television audience measurement system of claim 1 wherein the interface and communication apparatus includes a firewire.

21. The television audience measurement system of claim 1 wherein the interface and communication apparatus is arranged to send the identification datum to an Internet service provider via the Internet.

22. The television audience measurement system of claim 1 wherein the interface and communication apparatus includes an intermediate data collector.

23. The television audience measurement system of claim 22 wherein the intermediate data collector includes a store and forward device, and wherein the store and forward device 'is arranged to send the identification datum to the central office via a telephone line.

24. The television audience measurement system of claim 22 wherein the intermediate data collector is an Internet P:opcfbt24442o9div.ldoc.16/fI1 -62- service provider.

The television audience measurement system of claim 22 wherein the intermediate data collector is a data collection facility located in the central office.

26. The television audience measurement system of claim 1 wherein the software agent is a software agent downloaded to the memory associated with the digital television equipment.

27. The television audience measurement system of claim 1 wherein the software agent is a plug in software agent of the digital television equipment.

28. The television audience measurement system of claim 1 wherein the software agent is a floppy disk software agent of the digital television equipment.

29. A television audience measurement system for digital television equipment substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 2 to 7. 25 DATED this 6 th day of August, 2001 Nielsen Media Research, Inc. *by DAVIES COLLISON CAVE Patent Attorneys for the Applicant