AMSTERDAM, SEPTEMBER 15, 2017 – Source Digital, a technology and services company specializing in monetization through direct attribution within content, content personalization strategies and content monitoring; today announced that it has been granted a patent on a method of audio fingerprinting, comprised of obtaining audio samples corresponding to energy characteristics within the content. The application of this new invention is far reaching, including enabling Source to tap into monetization strategies within the emerging AR and VR space. 

This patented technology is at the core of its SourceSync.io platform used for accessing and taking activation against metadata and/or other forms of content hosted within or against the content at any moment. Allowing for a truly personalized form of viewing-engagement, SourceSync.io includes the ability for viewers to contribute or activate themselves against the content. Source Digital has been selected to participate in the upcoming IBC 2017 Startup Forum where it will present its SourceSync.io platform. In this new addition to the IBC show, the Startup Forum will bring together digital media startups with 400+ media executives, investors and press from 20+ countries. 

The new patent adds to the SourceSync.io technology, which enables viewers to intuitively and instantly discover and access related experiences while viewing programming on any device – smart phone, tablet, computer and traditional TV.  Audio fingerprinting is best known for its ability to link unlabeled audio to corresponding wrap-around or container-based metadata, such as an artist or song name. Source Digital’s patent takes audio fingerprinting a step further, ensuring content-based integrity verification by pinpointing the moment within the content to its corresponding data within a specific timeframe, based on user specific requests. This new method of fingerprinting for metadata uniquely allows viewers to access innovative new search strategies, by allowing the retrieval of any moment within content on any platform, simply by requesting the stored data. 

“When presented with the challenges and inadequacies with traditional methods of obtaining information from audio files at any moment in time, we knew that there was an opportunity to develop something new and intuitive for our customers that provides an unlimited library,” says Patrick Greene, Chief Software Architect, Source Digital. “Developing the algorithm to achieve our goal was extremely fulfilling, as this patented technology is critical in revolutionizing the ability for people and companies to monetize content with brand and product integration, and changing the way we discover information.”

Source Digital was granted a patent on U.S. Patent application No. 15/285,984: audio fingerprinting based on audio energy characteristics. The subject matter of this patent is the root of Source Digital’s Whisper layer of its SourceSync.io platform, in terms of how data is organized and Source’s analysis to extract the content. The invention allows Source to create a synthetic representation of the content and recognize any content, telling users exactly what exists at any moment in time and assists with program monitoring. With this, Source Digital can listen to and view in both acoustic (across the room) and electronic environments (inside of a player), meaning that the user can either have the content and want to know what data exists at a particular time or have data and want to find content moment. 

Established as an open platform strategy, SourceSync.io seamlessly interfaces with any existing asset management system, production or postproduction data source to virtually sync it with new data for alignment at any moment in time within the content. By creating an extended sync database to the content, the user engagement remains evergreen for the content’s entire lifecycle allowing perpetual discovery and even consumer contribution. This includes use of advanced cognitive capture and alignment resources, allowing an unlimited amount of data to be structured and stored against any frame of video. In addition, these stores of captured metadata can be leveraged across traditional TV, film, OTT and OVP platform delivery, including use of the emerging Dolby® AC-4 ATSC standard for personalization and content discovery.

Source Digital (www.sourcedigital.net) specializes in digital platform and application monetization strategies that connect personalization, smart content and omni-screen use. The Source Digital team includes industry-leading experts who developed a data driven, cloud-based engagement platform for a new generation of content viewers that interfaces with any device. As innovators, the Source Digital team developed a platform that allows content owners to design and fulfill personalization and monetization strategies against their real-time and file-based programs to viewers. This will allow viewers to instantly access and discover related experiences while viewing programming on any device – smart phone, tablet, computer and TV.