Broadcast advertisement adapting method and apparatus

Abstract

Techniques of adapting an advertisement previously broadcast or in the process of being broadcast are disclosed. An advertisement selection factor is generated in order to adapt ads to a particular recipient. The advertisement selection factor can be derived from a database of information concerning the recipient and/or from data input by the recipient. The ad may be adapted in a variety of ways including replacing a broadcast ad segment with another segment. The replacement ad segment may be stored in a local device such as a set-top box or hardware card of a TV or PC and selected according to the advertisement selection factor. The replacement ad segment is synchronized with the on-going broadcast to produce a seamless ad. Alternatively, an ad processing can change audio or visual characteristics of the ad according to the ad selection factor. Such ad processing also includes dynamical texture mapping, object replacement, object addition, and audio/video data layering. The ad processing may also be combined with ad segment replacement. The result is a broadcast advertisement specifically targeted for a recipient and thereby likely to have a greater impact on that recipient's buying patterns. These techniques may also be applied to a variety of content such as sitcoms and sports shows to adapt the content to a particular recipient.