The Nielsen Comapny (us), LLC

Nielsen Media Research, Inc.

Cheuk Wan Chan

Charles Clinton Conklin

James Joseph Vitt

Min Zhang

Power management methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture for audience measurement meters are disclosed. Example methods disclosed herein include obtaining presentation device state data representing an activation state of a media presentation device that is to present received media and is monitored by an audience measurement meter, the presentation device state data including time information. Such disclosed example methods also include determining whether to fault audience measurement data reported by the audience measurement meter based on the presentation device state data and power outage information determined from the audience measurement data.

Power management for audience measurement meters

Power management methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture for audience measurement meters are disclosed. An example method disclosed herein comprises determining an activation state of a media presentation device, and controlling activation of an audience measurement meter based on the activation state of the media presentation device, the audience measurement meter to monitor the media presentation device when the activation state is an active state. Another example method disclosed herein comprises obtaining presentation device state data representing an activation state of a media presentation device to be monitored by an audience measurement meter, the presentation device state data including time information, and determining whether to fault audience measurement data reported by the audience measurement meter based on the presentation device state data and outage information determined from the audience measurement data.

Methods and apparatus to detect an internally generated signal mode of a local media playback device are disclosed. A disclosed method comprises tuning a harmonic frequency of a chrominance signal output by a local media playback device, and determining that the local media playback device is in an internally generated signal mode if the measured harmonic frequency exceeds a predetermined threshold.

Methods and apparatus to detect an internally generated signal mode of a local media playback device

A non-invasive or minimally invasive intermediate frequency (I.F.) probe is disclosed for use as part of a broadcast audience measurement system. The probe can be used both to acquire a representation of a tuned signal and to inject a recognition signal into a tuned signal. The probe is configurable for use with both analog (e.g., NTSC, PAL or SECAM) and digital (e.g., ATSC) television broadcasts. Optionally, when in the injection mode, the I.F. probe can be used with another sensor;to determine which of several inputs to a monitored receiver is providing the audio and/or video output(s) selected by an audience member.

Methods and apparatus for identifying the source of a user selected signal via an intermediate frequency probe

An apparatus for acquiring a modified baseband video signal from a CRT of a receiver includes a capacitive pick-up disposed on an external surface of a housing of the receiver and adjacent to a socket of the CRT, and two inductive pick ups having substantially mutually perpendicular axes disposed on the external surface of the housing and spaced apart from the capacitive pickup. The capacitive pick up senses a video signal of the receiver, and the inductive pick ups sense horizontal and vertical sync signals of the receiver. A horizontal sync component of the video signal is replaced in response to the horizontal sync signal sensed by the inductive pick ups. A filter is arranged to filter out a band of frequencies centered about an integral multiple of a power line frequency. The capacitive pick up has a capacitive pick up plate and a capacitive shield plate which is located farther from the socket than the capacitive pick-up plate. An axis of one of the two inductive pick ups is parallel to an axis of the CRT.

Growing community of inventors

Tarpon Springs, FL, United States of America

Cheuk Wan Chan