Dynamic replacement of cinematic stage props in program content

Abstract

Stage props, such as consumer products, in legacy program content are replaced with dynamically replaceable assets. Such assets can be used for advertising purposes in that images of different products and services can be inserted therein and are changeable via a network. Such assets may be created by identifying props in the content for replacement, determining location and visual effects information for each identified prop, and creating a reference file that includes the content and the location and the visual effects information associated with each identified prop. A value may be determined for each asset or advertisers may bid on the assets to yield additional advertising revenue channel for the content. The content may be played back by broadcasting the content and reference information designating parameters for inserting the assets into the content. Replacement images, such as images of products, may be obtained via a network. The visual appearance of each replacement image may be modified using visual effects information so the inserted objects appear natural as if they were part of the original scene.