Abstract:
A system and method for identifying media content presented over a media playing device. The media content, such as audio and/or video, is either available digitally or digitally sampled. The media content is sampled to generate a media sample or analytical representation of the media content. The media sample is compared to a collection of sampled (or represented) media content to identify it and to ascertain information related to the sample. This media content-related information is then presented to the user via a display means on the media player. The media player then presents the user specific and related actions that are based upon the information presented and allows the user to directly execute their choice of actions.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/511,632, filed Feb. 17, 2000, which is hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth herein. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     This invention pertains generally to media content identification methods. More particularly, the invention is an apparatus and method for identifying media content presented on a media playing device and presenting media-content related information and/or action to the user of the media playing device.  
         [0004]     2. The Prior Art  
         [0005]     The use of a data processing means, such as a computer or personal digital assistant (PDA), for playing works is well known. For purposes of the present discussion, a work is anything that is fixed in a tangible medium. Some examples of works include, but are not limited to, audio renderings, video renderings, images, video/audio renderings, and software. An example of an audio rendering is a song or other audio track. Examples of video renderings include animation or video sequence. Examples of an image include photographs and paintings. Examples of audio/video renderings include movies, television shows, and cartoons. Examples of software include word processing programs and video games.  
         [0006]     Some examples of playing a work include using a personal computer (PC) to play songs from audio compact disks (CD), normally with the use of a CD-ROM drive, a sound card, and speakers. Other types of media, including various formats of audio and video, are also commonly played using a PC.  
         [0007]     With the increasing popularity of the global information network commonly known as the “Internet”, various audio and video formats have been introduced to provide live (as well as archived) broadcasts of works over the Internet. These broadcasts may be viewed by users connected to the Internet with the use of a PC and the proper client application. For example, Real Networks™ provides Real Player™ (a client application) for playing streaming audio and video works (in Real™ format) which is broadcast over the Internet. Various servers (also connected to the Internet) carry out the operation of making such works available and streaming data for the appropriate works to users upon request. In this way, Real™ media content of the work may be played by a user using Real Player™ on the user&#39;s PC. Like other media client applications, Real Player™ plays audio content of a work via the user&#39;s sound card and speakers and video content of a work via the user&#39;s video card and monitor (or other viewing device).  
         [0008]     Internet radio broadcasts (or webcasts) are also known in the art. In general, Internet radio broadcasts are provided over the Internet by one or more server computers equipped to provide streaming audio works, much like traditional AM or FM radio broadcast. A user that would like to listen to an Internet radio broadcast would use a client application (such as Real Player™, Microsoft™ media player, or Apple QuickTime™ viewer, for example) and direct the client application to the appropriate server computer. The server computer then transmits the media content of a work to the client application via the Internet. The client application receives the media content of the work transmitted from the server computer and plays the content of the work using the user&#39;s sound card and speaker.  
         [0009]     Internet video broadcasts (another form of webcast) are carried out in a similar fashion to that of Internet radio broadcasts, except video broadcasts typically contain both audio and video content of a work. As such, the audio component of the work is played to the user via a sound card and speakers, while the video component of the work is displayed using a video card and a monitor.  
         [0010]     In many cases, webcasts will not provide content identifying information, such as song title, artist name or album name, as part of a broadcast work. Other information, such as where the content of the work can be purchased in the form of a CD, DVD (digital video disk) or VHS (video home system) tape, for example, are also typically not included. The primary reason a webcast provider (station) fails to provide such content-related information of the work is that the station does not have real-time access to accurate playlists. For example, it is common for a station disk jockey to make real-time adjustments to the playlist order and timing. Thus current radio station systems do not transmit or attach identification data of a work with the broadcast.  
         [0011]     In addition to webcasts, many Internet sites provide archived or pre-recorded works for download and playback on a user&#39;s PC. Examples of such content of works include “wav”, “mp3”, “mov”, and “midi” files, among others. Once these files have been downloaded from the Internet site to the user&#39;s PC, the user is able to play back the audio or video content of a work using an appropriate client application. Many of these media files, like webcasts, also fail to provide identifying data or other information for a work.  
         [0012]     Additionally, PCs often have the ability to play other forms of media content for other works via PC sound card and speakers and/or PC video card and monitor. For example, tuner expansion cards (tuners) which may be inserted into (or interfaced with) a user&#39;s PC are presently available (some computers already include such tuners). In either case, “television” (TV) tuners allow a user of the PC to view conventional television, cable or satellite transmissions on the PC monitor and hear the audio via the PC speaker. “Radio” tuners allow a user to hear conventional (FM or AM) radio broadcast using the PC speaker. Conventional TV and radio broadcast also fail to provide rich content-related information of a work to the user.  
         [0013]     Other media playing devices such as televisions, radio/stereo systems, and portable audio devices also typically do not provide content-related information of a work on demand for the user. For example, in automobiles, current car stereo systems fail to provide a system and method for identifying a song being played on the stereo. Typically a user would either rely on the disk jockey to identify the artist and song title or call the radio station to ascertain the information.  
         [0014]     Users may also read and/or store media content of works from storage mediums such as compact disk and magnetic tapes. Sometimes these copies of works do not include metadata or the metadata for the work may be incorrect. Furthermore, there may be no proper way to identify the work.  
         [0015]     Accordingly, there is a need for an apparatus and method which provides real-time media content-related information of a work and context specific action choices to users viewing and/or listening to media content of the work over media playing devices. The present invention satisfies these needs, as well as others, and generally overcomes the deficiencies found in the background art.  
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0016]     The present invention is a system and method for identifying a work from media content presented over a media playing device, such as a computer. The system generates a media sample or analytical representation from the media content of the work, such as audio and/or video, played on the media player. The media sample or representation is compared to a database of samples of media content or representations of known works to query and ascertain content-related information related to the work. This media content-related information of the work is then displayed on the media player.  
         [0017]     The invention further relates to machine readable media which are stored embodiments of the present invention. It is contemplated that any media suitable for retrieving instructions is within the scope of the present invention. By way of example, such media may take the form of magnetic, optical, or semiconductor media. The invention also relates to data structures that contain embodiments of the present invention, and to the transmission of data structures containing embodiments of the present invention.  
         [0018]     By way of example only, and not of limitation, the media player may comprise any data processing means or computer executing the present invention including devices carrying out the invention via an embedded system. For example, the media player may comprise cellular or mobile phones, portable media players, and fixed media players including analog broadcast receivers (such as car stereo, home stereos, and televisions, for example).  
         [0019]     In a first embodiment, the database of media content samples of known works resides on a “lookup server” which carries out the database query described above. In general, the lookup server is operatively coupled for communication to one or more media players (client) via the Internet as is known in the art. Under this arrangement, media samples of works are first communicated from the client to the lookup server before the media samples are compared to the database. Then after the database query is carried out on the lookup server, the content-related information of the work is transmitted to the client for presentation thereon.  
         [0020]     According to this embodiment, the system of the present invention generally includes one or more client media players, each operatively coupled for communication to a lookup server. As noted above, the lookup server is generally connected to the client media players via an Internet connection, although any suitable network (including wired or wireless) connection may also be used.  
         [0021]     For example, the client media player may comprise a computer. The client computer typically plays audio files via a sound card and speakers. Video files are played via a video card and a monitor. The client computer has executing thereon a “client engine” software application comprising a sampling unit, a media intercept unit (intercept unit), and a user-interface.  
         [0022]     By way of example, and not of limitation, the intercept unit carries out the operation of monitoring the client computer for media content of a work presented thereon. In general, the intercept unit carries out the operation of monitoring audio signals transmitted to the sound card and/or video signals transmitted to the video card. The intercept unit may also monitor the operations of other hardware suitable for communicating audio and/or video signals, such as USB (universal serial bus) and IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) standard 1394 connections, for example. Preferably, the intercept unit maintains a FIFO (first in first out) buffer of fixed size (150 seconds, for example) containing media content played on the client.  
         [0023]     The sampling unit carries out the operation of creating a media sample from the media content of a work played on the client computer in order to represent and identify the work. In general, the sampling unit creates a sample of the work from the FIFO buffer maintained by the intercept unit. The sampling unit may create media samples from the media content of a work according to a predetermined or user-defined interval or upon the request of the user of the client computer. A user request may be received via commands issued using the user-interface. In general, the media sample created by the sampling unit comprises a “digital fingerprint” or “digital signature” using conventional digital signal processing known in the art. For example, a sound file may be sampled according to its acoustic/perceptual features over time. It is noted that “media sample” is defined herein to include actual recordings of the media content and/or analytical representations of the media content of the work. One example of such a digital signal processing technique for creating a media sample is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,918,223 issued to Blum which is hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in its entirety. Other examples of methods for creating media samples are given in PCT application number WO200444820 having inventors Jin S. Seo, Jaap A. Haitsma and Antonius A. C. M. Kalker and assigned to Koninklijke Philips Electronics and PCT application number WO03091990 having inventors Daniel Culbert and Avery Li-Chun Wang and assigned to Shazam Entertainment, Ltd. The media sample is then transmitted to the lookup server for further processing, as described in further detail below.  
         [0024]     The user interface carries out the operation of receiving commands from a user of the client computer, and displaying content-related information to the user. As noted above, a user may issue a request for content-related information via the user-interface. This request is communicated to the sampling unit for further processing. As described above, in response to this request, the sampling unit creates a sample of the media content being played on the client computer and transmits the sample to the lookup server for further processing. In response, the lookup server provides the information related to the media sample to the client computer. This content-related information is received by the user interface which then displays the received information to the user of the client computer.  
         [0025]     The content-related information for the work returned from the lookup server may also be used for a plurality of purposes including, for example, generating a log of the user activity, providing an option to purchase media to the user, and displaying the content-related information on the media playing device, among others.  
         [0026]     The lookup server has executing thereon a “server engine” software application comprising a lookup unit, and a log unit. The lookup unit is further coupled to a media database, and the log unit is coupled to a log database. While the present invention describes the lookup server as a single machine, a group or cluster of server machines may be used to carry out the tasks of the lookup server described herein to thereby balance the load between several machines as is known in the art.  
         [0027]     The lookup unit carries out the operation of receiving media samples of the work from client computers and performing database queries on the media database to ascertain content information related to the media sample provided. This content-related information of the work may include such information as song title, artist, and album name, for example. The content-related information of the work may also include product fulfillment information, such as how and where to purchase media containing the work, advertising banners, and/or promotional offers, for example. This content-related information of the work is transmitted back to the client computer for further processing thereon.  
         [0028]     The log unit caries out the operation of tracking media requests made by the users of the client computers to the lookup server. The log unit maintains a plurality of information related to the requests made by the user including, for example, media type, genre or category. This user information is maintained in the log database.  
         [0029]     The source of the media content of the work played on the client computer includes conventional media sources such as Internet sources or webcasts, including streaming media and archived media. The media content source may also be audio CDs, DVD, or other formats suitable for presentation on media playing devices, such as the client computer.  
         [0030]     In a second embodiment of the present invention, the database of sampled media content resides within the client computer. The database resides on conventional storage medium, such as a computer memory, a hard drive, CD-ROM, or other appropriate storage medium. Under this arrangement, the database query is carried out “locally” on the computer playing the media content. It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that various other topological arrangements of the system elements (including the location of the database) may be used with the invention without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.  
         [0031]     An object of the invention is to provide an apparatus and method for identifying media content presented over a media playing device which overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art.  
         [0032]     Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus and method for identifying media content presented over a media playing device which does not require the media content provider to provide content-related information.  
         [0033]     Further objects and advantages of the invention will be brought out in the following portions of the specification, wherein the detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing the preferred embodiment of the invention without placing limitations thereon. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0034]     The present invention will be more fully understood by reference to the following drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only.  
         [0035]      FIG. 1  is a functional block diagram of a media content identifying system in accordance with the invention.  
         [0036]      FIG. 2  is a functional block diagram of a media content identifying system having a plurality of client nodes in accordance with the invention.  
         [0037]      FIG. 3  is a flow chart showing generally the processes associated with the client engine in accordance with the invention.  
         [0038]      FIG. 4  is flow chart showing generally the processes associated with the media intercept unit in accordance with the invention.  
         [0039]      FIG. 5  is flow chart showing generally the processes associated with the server engine in accordance with the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0040]     Persons of ordinary skill in the art will realize that the following description of the present invention is illustrative only and not in any way limiting. Other embodiments of the invention will readily suggest themselves to such skilled persons having the benefit of this disclosure.  
         [0041]     Referring more specifically to the drawings, for illustrative purposes the present invention is embodied in the apparatus shown  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2  and the method outlined in  FIG. 3  through  FIG. 5 . It will be appreciated that the apparatus may vary as to configuration and as to details of the parts, and that the method may vary as to details and the order of the acts, without departing from the basic concepts as disclosed herein. The invention is disclosed generally in terms of an apparatus and method for identification of a work on a personal computer, although numerous other uses for the invention will suggest themselves to persons of ordinary skill in the art.  
         [0042]     Referring first to  FIG. 1 , there is generally shown a functional block diagram of a media content identifying system  10  in accordance with the invention. The system  10  comprises a lookup server  12  and at least one client media player  14 . The lookup server  12  can be any standard data processing means or computer, including a minicomputer, a microcomputer, a UNIX® machine, a mainframe machine, a personal computer (PC) such as INTEL® based processing computer or clone thereof, an APPLE® computer or clone thereof or, a SUN® workstation, or other appropriate computer. Lookup server  12  generally includes conventional computer components (not shown), such as a motherboard, central processing unit (CPU), random access memory (RAM), hard disk drive, display adapter, other storage media such as diskette drive, CD-ROM, flash-ROM, tape drive, PCMCIA cards and/or other removable media, a monitor, keyboard, mouse and/or other user interface means, a modem, and/or other conventional input/output devices. Lookup server  12  also includes a Network Interface  17  for communication with other computers using an appropriate network protocol.  
         [0043]     Lookup server  12  has loaded in its RAM a conventional server operating system (not shown) such as UNIX®, WINDOWS® NT, NOVELL®, SOLARIS®, or other server operating system. Lookup server  12  also has loaded in its RAM server engine software  16 , which is discussed in more detail below.  
         [0044]     Client media player  14 , may comprise a standard computer such as a minicomputer, a microcomputer, a UNIX® machine, mainframe machine, personal computer (PC) such as INTEL®, APPLE®, or SUN® based processing computer or clone thereof, or other appropriate computer. As such, client media player  14  is normally embodied in a conventional desktop or “tower” machine, but can alternatively be embodied in a portable or “laptop” computer, a handheld personal digital assistant (PDA), a cellular phone capable of playing media content, a dumb terminal playing media content, a specialized device such as Tivo® player, or an internet terminal playing media content such as WEBTV®, among others. As described above, client media player  14  may also comprise other media playing devices such as a portable stereo system, fixed stereo systems, and televisions suitable for use with embedded systems carrying out the operations of the client engine as described further below.  
         [0045]     Client media player  14  also includes typical computer components (not shown), such as a motherboard, central processing unit (CPU), random access memory (RAM), hard disk drive, other storage media such as diskette drive, CD-ROM, flash-ROM, tape drive, PCMCIA cards and/or other removable media, keyboard, mouse and/or other user interface means, a modem, and/or other conventional input/output devices.  
         [0046]     Client media player  14  also has loaded in RAM an operating system (not shown) such as UNIX®, WINDOWS® XP or the like. Client media player  14  further has loaded in RAM a media client application program  18  such as Real Player™, Windows™ Media Player, Apple Quicktime™ Player, or other appropriate media client application for playing audio and/or video via client media player  14 . Client media player  14  also has loaded in its RAM client engine software  30 , which is discussed in more detail below.  
         [0047]     Client media player  14  further includes a conventional sound card  20  connected to speakers  22 . As is known in the art, the media client application  18  will generally play audio signals through the sound card device  20  and speakers  22 . For example, audio streams, audio files, audio CDs, and other audio sources are communicated from the client application  18  to the sound card  20  for output. The sound card  18  then produces the audio signal via speakers  22 .  
         [0048]     Client media player  14  also includes a conventional video card  24  connected to a display means  26 . As is known in the art, the media client  18  will generally play video content through the video card  24 , which then produces an appropriate video signal suitable for display on the display means  26 . The display means  26  may be a standard monitor, LCD, or other appropriate display apparatus. Client media player  14  also includes a Network Interface  28  for communication with other computers using an appropriate network protocol. The network interface  28  may comprise a network interface card (NIC), a modem, ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) adapter, ADSL (Asynchronous digital subscriber line) adapter or other suitable network interface.  
         [0049]     Client media player  14  is networked for communication with lookup server  12 . Typically, client media player  14  is operatively coupled to communicate with lookup server  12  via an Internet connection  32  through a phone connection using a modem and telephone line (not shown), in a standard fashion. The user of client media player  14  will typically dial the user&#39;s Internet service provider (ISP) (not shown) through the modem and phone line to establish a connection between the client media player  14  and the ISP, thereby establishing a connection between the client media player  14  and the Internet  32 . Generally, lookup server  12  is also connected to the Internet  32  via a second ISP (not shown), typically by using a fast data connection such as T1, T3, multiple T1, multiple T3, or other conventional data connection means (not shown). Since computers connected to the Internet are themselves connected to each other, the Internet  32  establishes a network communication between client media player  14  and server  12 . One skilled in the art will recognize that a client may be connected to any type of network including but not limited to a wireless network or a cellular network. Generally, client media player  14  and lookup server  12  communicate using the IP (internet protocol). However, other protocols for communication may also be utilized, including PPTP, NetBEUI over TCP/IP, and other appropriate network protocols.  
         [0050]     Client media player  14  and server  12  can alternatively connect to the Internet  32  using a network means, wireless means, satellite means, cable means, infrared means or other means for establishing a connection to the Internet, as alternatives to telephone line connection. Alternative means for networking client media player  14  and server  12  may also be utilized, such as a direct point to point connection using modems, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), wireless connection, satellite connection, direct port to port connection utilizing infrared, serial, parallel, USB, FireWire/IEEE-1394, ISDN, DSL and other means known in the art.  
         [0051]     In general, client engine  30  is a software application executing within the client media player  14 . However, client engine  30  may also be an embedded system carrying out the functions described herein and suitable for use with various media player platforms. Client engine  30  comprises a sampling unit  34 , an intercept unit  36 , and a user interface  38 .  
         [0052]     The intercept unit  36  carries out the operation of monitoring the client media player  14  for media content of a work presented thereon, typically by media client application  18 , but may be from any media source. In operation, the intercept unit  36  monitors audio signals transmitted from the media client  18  to the sound card  20  and/or video signals transmitted from the media client  18  to the video card  24 . The intercept unit  36  may also monitor the operations of other hardware (not shown) suitable for communicating audio and/or video signals, such as USB, IEEE standard 1394 connections, and analog input devices (such as microphones). For example, in a media player comprising a mobile stereo system, the intercept unit  36  intercepts the audio signal played on thereon.  
         [0053]     Preferably, the intercept unit  36  maintains a FIFO (first in first out) buffer  40  of fixed size (150 seconds, for example) for storing media content of a work played on the client media player  14 , and from which media samples of the work are created by sampling unit  34 . The operation of the intercept unit is further described below in conjunction with  FIG. 4 .  
         [0054]     The sampling unit  34  carries out the operation of creating a media sample from the media content of a work played on the client media player  14 . In operation, the sampling unit  34  creates a media sample from the FIFO buffer  40  maintained by the intercept unit  36 . The sampling unit  34  may create media samples according to a predetermined or user-defined interval or upon the request of user of the client media player  14 . For example, user requests may be received via commands issued using the user-interface  38 .  
         [0055]     As noted above, the media sample created by the sampling unit  34  typically comprises a “digital fingerprint” using conventional digital signal processing known in the art. For example, a sound file may be sampled according to its acoustic/perceptual features over time: One example of such a digital signal processing technique is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,918,223 issued to Blum which is hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in its entirety. Other examples are described in PCT application number WO200444820 having inventors Jin S. Seo, Jaap A. Haitsma and Antonius A. C. M. Kalker and assigned to Koninklijke Philips Electronics and PCT application number WO03091990 having inventors Daniel Culbert and Avery Li-Chun Wang and assigned to Shazam Entertainment, Ltd. The media sample generated by sampling unit  34  is then transmitted to the lookup server  12  for further processing, as described in further detail below.  
         [0056]     The user interface  38  carries out the operation of receiving commands from a user of the client media player  14 , and displaying content-related information to the user. The user interface  38  may be any conventional interfaces including, for example, a graphical user interface (GUI), a command line user interface (CLUI), a voice recognition interface, a touch screen interface, a momentary contact switch on a stereo system, or other appropriate user interface.  
         [0057]     In operation, a user may issue a request for content-related information via the user-interface  38 . This request is communicated to the sampling unit  34  for further processing. As described above, in response to such a request, the sampling unit  34  creates a media sample from the media content of a work being played on the client media player  14  and transmits the sample to the lookup server  12  for further processing. In response, the lookup server  12  provides the information related to the work, if available, to the client media player. This content-related information of the work is received by the user interface  38  which then displays the received information to the user of the client media player  14 .  
         [0058]     The server engine  16  is a software application executing within the lookup server  12 . Server engine  16  comprises a lookup unit  42  and a log unit  44 . Lookup unit  42  is operatively coupled for communication with a media database  46 . Log unit  44  is operatively coupled for communication with a log database  48 .  
         [0059]     The lookup unit  42  carries out the operation of receiving media samples from the client media player  14  and comparing the media samples to a collection of samples of the media content of known works (reference samples). The collection of reference samples of known works will typically reside in an in-memory structure (designated  47 ). Upon initialization of the lookup unit  42 , the collection of reference samples of known works from the media database  46  is stored in the in-memory structure  47 .  
         [0060]     The lookup unit  42  sequentially compares each reference sample of known works in structure  47  to the media sample provided by the media player  14 . The lookup unit will cut a media sample of the received work into a series of overlapping frames, each frame the exact size of the particular reference sample under examination. The lookup unit  42  will then compare the reference sample to every possible “frame” of information within the media samples of the known works and compute a “distance” between each frame and the reference sample. This process repeats for each reference sample. The reference sample which has the smallest distance to any frame in the sample is considered for a match. If this distance is below a predefined threshold, a match is considered to be found.  
         [0061]     When a match is determined, the information related to the matching record of the known work is returned to the client media player for presentation thereon. This content-related information of a work may include such information as song title, artist, and album name, for example. The content-related information may also include product fulfillment information, such as how and where to purchase media containing the media sample, advertising banners, and/or promotional offers, for example. This content-related information of the work is transmitted back to the client media player  14  for further processing thereon.  
         [0062]     The log unit  44  caries out the operation of tracking media requests made by the users of the client media player  14  to the lookup server  12 . The log unit  44  maintains a plurality of information related to the requests made by the user including, for example, media type, genre or category. This user information is maintained in the log database  48   
         [0063]     Media database  46  and log database  48  comprise conventional relational database storage facilities. Thus, media database  46  may comprise one or more tables (not shown) for storing data associated with the media content samples of known works and related content-specific information (song name, title, album name, etc.) of the known works. In general, another computer (not shown) may be connected to the lookup server  12  for entering the content-specific media information into the media database  46 . Log database  46  may comprise one or more tables (not shown) for storing data associated with users and the user&#39;s related media content requests.  
         [0064]     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , there is generally shown a functional block diagram of a media content identifying system  50  having a plurality of client nodes in accordance with the invention.  
         [0065]     System  50  comprises a lookup server  54  operatively coupled for communication with a plurality of client media players  52   a  through  52   n  via Internet connection  32 . System  50  operates in substantially the same manner as system  10  described above. That is, lookup server  54  operates in the same manner as lookup server  12 , and clients  52   a  through  52   n  operate in the same manner as client media player  14 . However, in system  50 , lookup server  12  handles a plurality of media sample identification requests from the client  52   a  through  52   n.    
         [0066]     As depicted in  FIG. 2 , clients  52   a  through  52   n  communicate with lookup server  54  using the HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol) over IP. Although http is used in the example, one skilled in the art will recognize that any suitable protocol may be used. More particularly, the media sample signal generated by each client  52   a  through  52   n  is wrapped using a transport protocol before being transmitted over HTTP to lookup server  54  for processing. When lookup server  54  receives the HTTP transmission from the client media player, a transport protocol converts (“unwraps”) the signal for processing therein by the server engine. Likewise, before transmitting content-related information retrieved from the media database to the appropriate client media player, the information is first wrapped using the transport protocol. The content-related information may be communicated using “XML” tags, or other appropriate programming, scripting, or markup language. The appropriate client media player upon receiving the transmission from the lookup server  54  unwraps the signal for processing therein by the client engine.  
         [0067]     The method and operation of the invention will be more fully understood by reference to the flow charts of  FIG. 3  through  FIG. 5 . The order of acts as shown in  FIG. 3  through  FIG. 5  and described below are only exemplary, and should not be considered limiting.  
         [0068]     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , as well as  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , there is shown the processes associated with the client engine  30  in accordance with the invention. As described above, the client engine  30  is a software application or embedded system operating within a client media player for identifying media content played via the client media player.  
         [0069]     At process  100 , the client engine  30  is initiated. The client engine  30  may be initiated by the user of client media player  14  or may initiate automatically upon the recognition of media content being played via the sound card  20  and/or the video card  24 . Box  110  is then carried out.  
         [0070]     At box  110 , the intercept unit  36  is initiated. As described above, the intercept unit  36  carries out the operation of monitoring media content of a work played on client media player  14  (typically via sound card  20  and/or video card  24 ). The processes of the intercept unit  36  are described more fully below in conjunction with  FIG. 4 . After the intercept unit  36  is initiated, box  120  is then carried out.  
         [0071]     At box  120 , a user request for media information is received via user interface  38 . This request is communicated from the user interface  38  to the sampling unit  34  for further processing. Box  130  is then carried out.  
         [0072]     At box  130 , the sampling unit  34  creates a media sample from the media data of a work contained in the FIFO buffer  40 . The media sample created by the sampling unit  34  comprises a “digital fingerprint” using conventional digital signal processing known in the art. As noted above, a sound file may be sampled according to its acoustic/perceptual features over time. Box  14  is then carried out.  
         [0073]     At box  140 , the sampling unit  34  transmits the media sample created from box  130  to the lookup server  12  for content identification and content-related information. In the illustrative system depicted in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the media sample is first wrapped in a transport protocol and then communicated over IP (HTTP) via network interface  28 . Box  150  is then carried out.  
         [0074]     At box  150 , the client media player  14  receives from the lookup server  12  the content-related information of the work requested in box  140 . The process for generating the content-related information by the lookup server  12  is described in further detail below in conjunction with  FIG. 5 . This content data is first received via the network interface  28 , unwrapped using the appropriate transport protocol and then communicated to the client engine  30 . In the client engine  30 , the user interface  38  receives the content-related information, and parses the data according to the appropriate format (XML tags, for example) transmitted by the lookup server  12 . Box  160  is then carried out.  
         [0075]     At box  160 , the user interface  38  presents the content-related information of the work to the user via video card  24  and display  26 , or other display device such as an LCD screen, or standard broadcast television. As described above, this content-related information of the work may include such information as song title, artist, and album name, for example. The content-related information of the work may also include product fulfillment information, such as how and where to purchase media containing the media sample, advertising banners, and/or promotional offers, for example.  
         [0076]     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , there is generally shown the processes associated with the media intercept unit  36  in accordance with the invention. In general, the media intercept unit  36  maintains a FIFO buffer of predetermined size (150 seconds, for example) of media content played via client media player  14 ,  52   a  through  52   n.    
         [0077]     At process  200 , the intercept unit  36  is initiated. This is carried out from box  110  of  FIG. 3 , during the start up of the client engine software  30 . Box  210  is then carried out.  
         [0078]     At box  210 , the intercept unit  36  monitors the media hardware devices of the client media player  14 . As described above, the media hardware devices may comprise a sound card  20  and/or a video card  24 . Other hardware devices suitable for playing media content are also monitored by the intercept unit  36 . Diamond  220  is then carried out.  
         [0079]     At diamond  220 , the intercept unit  36  determines whether any media hardware devices are playing media content of a work. If the intercept unit  36  determines that media content is currently being played, diamond  230  is carried out. Otherwise box  210  is repeated.  
         [0080]     At diamond  230 , the intercept unit  36  determines whether the FIFO buffer  40  is currently full. If the buffer is determined to be full, box  240  is carried out. Otherwise, box  250  is carried out.  
         [0081]     At box  240 , the intercept unit  36  has determined that all the buffer  40  is full and deletes the older sample in the buffer. As noted above, the FIFO buffer  40  is commonly configured with a predetermined size. For example, if the sampling rate is 22 KHz (HiloHertz), the oldest {fraction (1/22000)} th  of a second sample would be deleted, and the newest {fraction (1/22,000)} th  of a second sample would be added to the buffer. Using this method, the intercept unit  36  is able to maintain the most recent one hundred fifty (150) seconds of media content of a work played via client media player  14 . Box  250  is then carried out.  
         [0082]     At box  250 , the intercept unit  36  stores the media content of the work currently being played on client media player  14  into the FIFO buffer  40 . Box  210  is then repeated to continue monitoring media hardware devices.  
         [0083]     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , there is generally shown the processes associated with the server engine  16  and the lookup server  12  in accordance with the invention. It is noted that the lookup server  12  is structured and configured to handle a plurality of requests from a plurality of client media players as depicted in  FIG. 2  above.  
         [0084]     Prior to box  300  as described below, the in-memory structure  47  is populated with reference media samples of known works. Upon initialization of the lookup unit  42 , the collection of reference samples from the media database  46  is stored in the in-memory structure  47 .  
         [0085]     At box  300 , the lookup server  12  receives a media sample request from one of the client media players  14 ,  52   a  through  52   n . As described above, such requests are generally communicated over an Internet connection  32 , although any suitable network connection may also be used. The request is first received via network interface  17  via the IP (HTTP) protocol or other suitable protocol. An appropriate transport protocol unwraps the message and communicates the request to the server engine  16  for processing. Box  310  is then carried out.  
         [0086]     At box  310 , the lookup unit  42  sequentially compares each reference sample of the known works in structure  47  to the media sample of the work provided by the media player  14 ,  52   a  through  52   n , as described above. The lookup unit will cut the media sample into a series of overlapping frames, each frame the exact size of the particular reference sample under examination. The lookup unit  42  will then compare the reference sample to every possible “frame” of information within the media sample and compute a “distance” between each frame and the reference sample. This process repeats for each reference sample. Diamond  320  is then carried out.  
         [0087]     At diamond  320 , the lookup unit  42  determines whether a match was obtained. As noted above, the reference sample of the known work which has the smallest distance to any frame in the sample is considered for a match. If the distance is below a predefined threshold, a match is considered to be found. If a match is determined, box  330  is then carried out. Otherwise box  350  is carried out.  
         [0088]     At box  330 , the media sample from box  300  matches a corresponding record in the media database  46 , and the lookup unit  42  retrieves the content-related information of the known work associated with the matching record in the media database  46 . As noted above, this content-related information may include such information as song title, artist, album name, for example as well as other information such as product fulfillment information such as a sponsor or an advertiser. Box  340  is then carried out.  
         [0089]     At box  340 , the content-related information of the known work obtained in box  330  is transmitted to the client media player submitting the media sample request in box  300 . In the preferred embodiment, this transmission is carried out over the Internet using the IP (HTTP) protocol or other suitable protocol. Box  370  is then carried out to generate a log.  
         [0090]     At box  350 , the lookup unit  42  has determined that the media sample of the work from box  300  does not match any reference sample in the in-memory structure  47 . Box  360  is then carried out.  
         [0091]     At box  360 , a notice indicating that the requested information is not available is transmitted to the requesting client media player of box  300 . Box  370  is then carried out.  
         [0092]     At box  370  the log process is initiated. This log process involves tracking the user and related-media information associated with the request of box  300 . The log unit  44  maintains a plurality of information related to the requests made by the user including, for example, media type, genre or category. This user information is maintained in the log database  48  and may be used for various marketing strategies, including analyzing user behavior, for example.  
         [0093]     Accordingly, it will be seen that this invention provides an apparatus and method which provides real-time media content-related information to users viewing media content over a personal computer, or other data processing means. Although the description above contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing an illustration of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention. Thus the scope of this invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.