Patent Publication Number: US-8127328-B2

Title: Method and system for real-time reconciliation for unused content

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates generally to television broadcasting, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for reconciliation of unaired or unused insert material such as advertising when a break window was missed in a signal such as a broadcast television signal. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art. 
     Satellite broadcasting of television signals has increased in popularity. Satellite television providers continually offer more and unique services to their subscribers to enhance the viewing experience. Providing reliability in a satellite broadcasting system is therefore an important goal of satellite broadcast providers. Providing reliable signals reduces the overall cost of the system by reducing the number of received calls at a customer call center. 
     Television providers often insert promotional material or commercials into various portions of a program. For cable television provider this is done locally. Oftentimes, this is a manual process. Providing a convenient and reliable method is desirable. Tracking the material is typically a manual process. However, a number of channels increases tracking content broadcast becomes cumbersome. Careful tracking is required so that the advertising sponsors may be properly billed. 
     In certain conditions the time for a particular insert material may be missed. This may be due to an interruption in programming by a news organization or other factor. Although a particular time was desired, the sponsor may still want the insert aired. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure provides a means for reconciling missed inserts by notifying the sponsor in real-time or by consulting business rules provided by the sponsor. This allows for a rapid rescheduling of inserts particularly high value inserts. This can increase overall revenue from a system. 
     In one aspect of the disclosure, a method includes generating a pre-break window and a post-break window, receiving a content signal, generating a deviation signal when an expected trigger for an insert material is not within the pre-break window or post-break window and rescheduling the insert material. 
     In another aspect of the disclosure, a method includes storing insert material in a content repository, assigning an insert material identification to the insert material, generating an insertion schedule having a pre-break window and a post-break window, communicating the insertion schedule to the automation system, retrieving the insertion material from the content repository and storing the content in the automation system prior the pre-break window, communicating a content signal to the automation system, generating a deviation signal when an expected trigger for the insert material is not within the pre-break window or post-break window and rescheduling the insert material. 
     In yet another aspect of the disclosure, a system includes a scheduling system generating a pre-break window and a post-break window and an automation system in communication with the scheduling system receiving a content signal and generating a deviation signal when an expected trigger for an insert material is not within the pre-break window or post-break window. The scheduling system reschedules the insert material in response to the deviation signal. 
     Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. 
    
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
       The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. 
         FIG. 1  is an overall system view of a satellite communication system in the continental United States. 
         FIG. 2  is a system view at the regional level of a satellite system. 
         FIGS. 3A and 3B  are a block schematic view of the system illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a block diagrammatic view of a second embodiment of a system illustrated in  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 5  is a flow chart of a method of inserting insertion material into a channel signal. 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic view of a first embodiment of monitoring a channel signal. 
         FIG. 7  is a schematic view of a first embodiment of monitoring a channel signal. 
         FIG. 8  is a flow chart of a method for monitoring a break and discontinuing insertion material according to one embodiment. 
         FIG. 9  is a flow chart of a method for forming an as-run log. 
         FIG. 10  is a view of an as-run log. 
         FIGS. 11A-C  are a simplified screen view of as run logs. 
         FIG. 12  is a detailed flow chart of a method for forming an as-run log. 
         FIG. 13  is a flowchart of a method for reconciling a missed insert. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses. It should be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features. 
     As used herein, the term module, circuit and/or device refers to an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) and memory that execute one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable components that provide the described functionality. As used herein, the phrase at least one of A, B, and C should be construed to mean a logical (A or B or C), using a non-exclusive logical or. It should be understood that steps within a method may be executed in different order without altering the principles of the present disclosure. 
     The present disclosure is described with respect to a satellite television system. However, the present disclosure may have various uses including satellite transmission and data transmission and reception for home or business uses. The system may also be used in a cable system or wireless terrestrial communication system for generating an output signal. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , a communication system  10  includes a satellite  12  that includes at least one transponder  13 . Typically, multiple transponders are in a satellite. The communication system  10  includes a central facility  14  and a plurality of regional facilities  16 A,  16 B,  16 C,  16 D,  16 E and  16 F. Although only one satellite is shown, more than one is possible. The regional facilities  16 A- 16 F may be located at various locations throughout a landmass  18  such as the continental United States, including more or less than those illustrated. The regional facilities  16 A- 16 F uplink various uplink signals  17  to satellite  12 . The satellites downlink downlink signals  19  to various users  20  that may be located in different areas of the landmass  18 . The users  20  may be mobile or fixed users. The uplink signals  17  may be digital signals such as digital television signals or digital data signals. The digital television signals may be high definition television signals. Uplinking may be performed at various frequencies including Ka band. The present disclosure, however, is not limited to Ka band. However, Ka band is a suitable frequency example used throughout this disclosure. The central facility  14  may also receive downlink signals  19  corresponding to the uplink signals  17  from the various regional facilities and from itself for monitoring purposes. The central facility  14  may monitor the quality of all the signals broadcast from the system  10 . 
     The central facility  14  may also be coupled to the regional facilities through a network such as a computer network having associated communication lines  24 A- 24 F. Each communication line  24 A-F is associated with a respective regional site  16 . Communication lines  24 A- 24 F are terrestrial-based lines. As will be further described below, all of the functions performed at the regional facilities may be controlled centrally at the central facility  14  as long as the associated communication line  24 A-F is not interrupted. When a communication line  24 A-F is interrupted, each regional site  16 A-F may operate autonomously so that uplink signals may continually be provided to the satellite  12 . Each of the regional and central facilities includes a transmitting and receiving antenna which is not shown for simplicity in  FIG. 1 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , the regional facilities  16 A- 16 F of  FIG. 1  are illustrated collectively as reference numeral  16 . The regional facilities  16  may actually comprise two facilities that include a primary site  40  and a diverse site  42 . The primary site  40  may be referred to as a primary broadcast center (PBC). As will be described below, the central site  14  may also include a primary site and diverse site as is set forth herein. The primary site  40  and diverse site  42  of both the central and regional sites may be separated by at least 25 miles, or, more even more such as, at least 40 miles. In one constructed embodiment, 50 miles was used. The primary site  40  includes a first antenna  44  for transmitting and receiving signals to and from satellite  12 . Diverse site  42  also includes an antenna  46  for transmitting and receiving signals from satellite  12 . 
     Primary site  40  and diverse site  42  may also receive signals from GPS satellites  50 . GPS satellites  50  generate signals corresponding to the location and a precision timed signal that may be provided to the primary site  40  through an antenna  52  and to the diverse site  42  through an antenna  54 . It should be noted that redundant GPS antennas ( 52 A,B) for each site may be provided. In some configurations, antennas  44  and  46  may also be used to receive GPS signals. 
     A precision time source  56  may also be coupled to the primary site  40  and to the diverse site  42  for providing a precision time source. The precision time source  56  may include various sources such as coupling to a central atomic clock. The precision time source may be used to trigger certain events such as advertising insertions and the like. 
     The primary site  40  and the diverse site  42  may be coupled through a communication line  60 . Communication line  60  may be a dedicated communication line. The primary site  40  and the diverse site  42  may communicate over the communication line using a video over internet protocol (IP). 
     Various signal sources  64  such as an optical fiber line, copper line or satellites may provide incoming signals  66  from the primary site  40  to the diverse site  42 . Incoming signal  66 , as mentioned above, may be television signals. The television signals may be high-definition signals. The incoming signals  66  such as the television signal may be routed from the primary site  40  through the communication line  60  to the diverse site  42  in the event of a switchover whether the switchover is manual or a weather-related automatic switchover. A manual switchover, for example, may be used during a maintenance condition. 
     In a terrestrial system, the satellites may be eliminated or replaced by transmission towers that use terrestrial antennas in place of antennas  46 . In a cable system, the antennas  46  may be replaced with optical fibers or copper wires. 
     Users  20  receive downlink signals  70  corresponding to the television signals. Users  20  may include home-based systems or business-based systems. As illustrated, a user  20  has a receiving antenna  72  coupled to an integrated receiver decoder (IRD)  74  that processes the signals and generates audio and video signals corresponding to the received downlink signal  70  for display on the television or monitor  76 . It should also be noted that satellite radio receiving systems may also be used in place of the IRD  74 . The integrated receiver decoder may be incorporated into or may be referred to as a set top box. 
     The user  20  may also be a mobile user. The user  20  may therefore be implemented in a mobile device or portable device. The portable device  80  may include but are not limited to various types of devices such as a laptop computer  82 , a personal digital assistant  84 , a cellular telephone  86  or a portable media player  88 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 3A and 3B , a ground segment system  100  for processing content and forming an output signal is illustrated. One method for providing content is using file-based content  102 . The file-based content  102  may be in various standard formats such as CableLabs® content, digital video disks or the like. The file-based content  102  is provided to a content repository  104  that stores the various file-based content. If needed, a content processing system  106  processes the content and converts the format of the file-based content. The content processing system  106  may convert the video compression format, the resolution, the audio compression format and audio bit rates to match the target broadcast path. The content from the content repository  104  may be provided to various systems as will be described below. The content repository  104  may also receive tape-based content  108 . The tape-based content  108  may be processed in the content processing system  106  into various formats including a first format such as high-definition, serial digital interface (HD-SDI) format. The content repository  104  may provide content to baseband video servers  114 . The (P) and the (B) in the FIG. denote a primary and secondary or back-up baseband video server. The content repository  104  may also provide signals to various service access processing systems  116 . As illustrated, several service access processing systems (SAPS) are illustrated. Both primary and back-up service access processing systems  116  may be provided in the various chains. 
     An automation system  120  may control the insertion of various advertising into file-based and live streams. The SAPS  116  may function as an advertising insertion module. The SAPS  116  may also include a digital video effects insertion module described below. The function of the automation system  120  will be further described below. 
     Content repository  104  may also be coupled to a compressed video server (CVS)  122  and an advertising-insertion server (AIS)  124 . The compressed video server  122  uses content that is retrieved from the content repository  104 . The content repository  104  stores the content well in advance of use by the compressed video server  122 . Likewise, advertising may be also drawn from the content repository  104 . Both the content video server  122  and ad-insertion server  124  provide content in a compressed manner. This is in contrast to the baseband video server  114  that is provided content in a baseband. The output of the content video server may be in an IP transport stream. The content output of the compressed video server  122  and the ad-insertion server  124  may be provided to a local area network  130 . 
     A traffic scheduling system (TSS)  132  schedules the content throughout the ground segment  100 . The traffic scheduling system  132  generates broadcast schedules utilized by the baseband video servers  114 , the service access processing system  116 , the automation system  120 , the compressed video server  122  and the ad-insertion server  124 . The traffic and scheduling system  132  provides program-associated data (PAD) to a scheduled PAD server (SPS)  134 . The SPS  134  delivers the program-associated data to an advanced broadcast controller (ABC)  136 . As will be described below, an advanced broadcast management system (ABMS)  500  illustrated in  FIG. 5  is used to monitor and control the content. 
     The traffic and scheduling system  132  may also be in communication with an advanced program guide system  138 . 
     A live content source  40  delivered by way of a satellite optical fiber or copper wires couple live content to an L-band distribution and routing system  142 . Of course, those skilled in the art will recognize various other frequencies may be used for the L-band. The output of the routing system  42  may be provided to ingest channels  150 , turnaround channels  152 , occasional channels  154 , and continental United States local collection facility channels  156 . Each of the various channels  150 - 156  may represent a number of channels. Each of the channels has primary and secondary or back-up circuitry for processing the data stream. 
     The output of the L-band distribution and routing system  142  provide signals to receivers  160 . As mentioned above, the paths may be in primary or secondary paths. The receivers  160  receive the feed signal from the L-band distribution and routing system  142  and demodulate the feed signal. The receiver may also provide decryption. The feed signal may be in an ATSC-compliant transport stream from terrestrial fiber or satellite sources. The feed signal may also be a DVD-compliant transport stream delivered via satellite or fiber. The signal may also include a digicipher-compliant transport stream, a JPEG 2000 transport stream or various proprietary formats from various content providers. The output of the receiver may be provided via an ASI or MPEG IP interface. 
     Should the content from the content provider be provided in a format that can be immediately used by the system, the receiver may be replaced with a pass-through connector such as a barrel connector. 
     The receive signal from the receiver  160  is provided to decoders  162 . The decoders  162  decode the receive signal to provide decoded signals. The receive signal may still be compressed and, thus, the decoder may be used for decoding the live compressed video and audio content. The receive signal may be an ATSC-compliant transport stream, a DVD-compliant transport stream, a digicipher-compliant transport stream, a JPEG 2000 transport stream or various proprietary formats that may be delivered via ASI or MPEG/IP. The output of the decoder is a baseband signal that may be in a variety of formats such as a high definition serial digital interface (HD-SDI) format. The decoders  162  may also include a general purpose interface used to convey add trigger events via contact closures. The input may be delivered directly from an upstream receiver, a conversion box that converts dual-tone multi-frequency tones from the upstream receiver into the general purpose interface. The audio format may carry various types of audio streams including Dolby digital, Dolby E or PCM audio. More than one type of audio stream may be included for a signal. The house signal may also include Society of Cable Telecommunication Engineers (SCTE) standard 104 and 35 messages. The house signal may also include closed captioning and vertical interval time code (VITC). It is possible that the decoder may not be required if the content provided from the live content sources is in the proper format. Therefore, the decoder is an optional piece of equipment. 
     For the occasional channels  154 , the output of the decoders  162  may be provided to an occasional HD-SDI routing system  164 . Of course, the output of the receiver  152  may be routed rather than the output of the decoder  152 . An occasional channel is a live turnaround channel that only exists long enough to carry one or more events, typically sporting events such as those in the NFL or NBA. The type of receiver formatting or authorizations may vary depending on the type of event. Only a small number of receivers are used for these types of events. The routing system  164  allows a proper allocation of downstream equipment in proportion to the number of active broadcast channels rather than the number of content providers. 
     The output of the decoders  162  in the ingest channels  150 , the turnaround channels  152 , and the CONUS local collection facility channels  156  are each provided to the SAPS  116 . The SAPS  116  provide baseband processing which may include conversion to a house format and ad-insertion. The SAPS  116  receives a single HD-SDI signal from each decoder  162 . It is possible that the decoder and the SAPS may be combined in one unit. The service access processing system SAPS  116  may extract and reinsert various audio streams, such as PCM, Dolby digital, or Dolby E audio. The SAPS  116  may also transcode the signals in the case where a different coding scheme is required. Various operational modes may also be incorporated into the SAPS  116  including frame synchronization, error concealment, and the use of variable incoming bit rates. The SAPS  116  may also support real time changes in the video format. The video format may, for example, be 1080p, 1080i, 720p, and 480p. 
     Server-based channels  170  may also be included in the system. Server-based channels  170  include a baseband video server  114  that receives content from the content repository  104 . 
     The primary and back-up baseband video servers  114  of the server-based channels  170  may be coupled to a receiver transfer unit (RTU)  176  which acts as a switch-to-switch between primary and back-up signals. The primary and back-up service access processing system of the turnaround channels  152 , the occasional channels  154 , and the remote collection facility channels  156  may all be coupled to a receiver transfer unit  176 . The receiver transfer unit  176  performs various functions including redundancy switching or selection for choosing between the primary and the back-up outputs of the baseband video server  114  or the service access processing system  116  and providing the chosen signal to an encoder  182 . The receiver transfer units  176  may also route the signals for monitoring and redundancy to an HD-SDI monitoring system  186 . The receiver transfer units  176  may provide an automatic redundancy mode in which the unit fails to a back-up input upon loss of a primary input signal. The RTU  176  may also be implemented so that a switch back from the back-up to the primary unit may not be automatically performed without manual intervention. The receiver transfer unit  176  may be a switch that is controlled by the advanced broadcast management system  300  (of  FIG. 5 ) to generate an output signal. In the case of a failure of one of the encoders  182 , a routing system  186  may be used to route the signal through a back-up encoder  190 . 
     The HD-SDI routing system  186  may provide a plurality of back-up encoders for the various channels. A number of back-up encoders may be provided based on the number of primary encoders. In one example, three back-up encoders for every primary encoder were provided. 
     The encoders  182  and the encoders  190  encode the video audio closed-captioned data VITC and SCTE 35 data associated within a single chain. The output of the encoder is a single program transport stream that is provided by way of an MPEG-IP interface. The single program transport stream (SPTS) is coupled to a local area network  130 . The local area network  130  may include a plurality of routers  192  that are used to route the single port transport streams to an uplink signal processing system (USPS)  200 . Several uplink signal processing systems  200  may be provided. This may include a secondary or back-up USPS that will be referred to as an engineering USPS  200 ′. The single program transport stream includes identification of the signal so that it may be properly routed to the proper uplink signal processing system. The uplink signal processing system  200  generates an output to an uplink RF system (URFS)  202  that includes a power amplifier. The uplink signal processing system  200  may also provide redundant pairs to increase the reliability of the output signal. 
     The uplink signal processing system  200  may include a multiplexing splicing system (MSS)  210 , an advance transport processing system (ATPS)  212 , and a modulator  214 . Pairs of multiplexing splicing systems  210 , advance transport processing systems  212 , and modulators  214  may be provided for redundancy. The multiplexing splicing system  210  multiplexes the single program transport stream from the local area network  130  into a multiplexed transport stream (MPTS). The MSS  210  may also act to insert advertising into the signal. Thus, the MSS  210  acts as a multiplexing module and as an ad insertion module. Various numbers of single-program transport streams may be multiplexed. In one constructed embodiment, eight single program transport streams were multiplexed at each MSS  210 . The ads to be inserted at the MSS  210  may be formatted in a particular format such as MPEG 4 format and have various types of digital including Dolby digital audio streams. The MSS  210  may identify insertion points based on SCTE 35 in the incoming stream. The advance transport processing system  212  converts the DVB-compliant transport stream from the MSS  210  into an advanced transport stream such as the DIRECTV A3 transport stream. The ATPS  212  may support either ASI or MPEG output interface for the broadcast path. Thus, the ATPS  212  acts as an encryption module. The ATPS  212  may accept data from the advanced broadcast controller  136  and the advanced program guide system  138 . The ATPS  212  may also be coupled to a data broadcast system  226 . The data from the ABC  136 , the APGS  138 , and the DBS  226  are multiplexed into the output transport stream. Thus, the ATPS  212  acts as a data encryption module. As will be described below, the ATPS may also be coupled to the advanced broadcast management system described below in  FIG. 4 . Error reporting to the advanced broadcast management system ( 300  in  FIG. 5 ) may include transport level errors, video outages, audio outages, loss of connection from a redundancy controller or a data source, or a compression system controller. 
     The modulators  214  modulate the transport stream from the ATPS  212  and generate an RF signal at a frequency such as an L-band frequency. 
     An RF switch  216  is coupled to the primary modulator and back-up modulator  214 . The RF switch provides one output signal to the uplink RF system  202 . 
     The ATPS  212  may also receive information or data from a DBS  234 . The DBS  234  provides various types of data to be inserted into the broadcast. The data information is provided to the ATPS  212  to be inserted into the program stream. A content distribution system  236  may also be used to couple information to the ATPS. The content distribution system may provide various information such as scheduling information, or the like. The content repository  104  may also be directly coupled to the ATPS for providing various types of information or data. 
     Referring back to the front end of the ground segment  100 , a CONUS local collection facility (CLCF)  226  may be used to collect live content represented by box  228  at a content-provider site or delivered to the CLCF  226  by way of a fiber. A plurality of encoders  230  may be used to encode the signals in a useable format by the system. The encoder signals may be provided to a backhaul internet protocol network  232  and provided to a decoder  162  within the CLCF channels  156  or to a receiver  160  in the CLCF. As mentioned above, if the content is formatted in a usable format, the receiver  160  may not be required. Should the receiver function be required, a receiver may be used in the system. 
     Several uplink signal processing systems  200  may be provided for any one system. Each of the uplink signal processing systems may correspond to a single transponder on a single satellite. Thus, the combined single program transport streams received at the multiplex splicing system  210  are combined to fit on a single transponder. 
     A back-up or engineering uplink system processing system  200 ′ may also be provided. The engineering uplink signal processing system  200 ′ may have the same components as the USPS  200 . The engineering USPS  200 ′ may be used as a substitute for a particular transponder should one of the primary USPS fail for any reason. 
     The ABMS system  324  may be used to monitor various portions of the system including the each of the components of the USPS  200 , the RTU and BVS or automation system. Monitor may be generated from the various component and control signals generated to the components. As mentioned above, the USPS  200  may include a multiplexer. The multiplexer may be used for inserting a slide due to technical difficulty at a component such as the encoders  330 . A slide insertion signal may be generated in response. This will also be described further below. 
     The ABMS system  324  may also be in communication with the RTU switch  176 . The switch  176  may be monitored to determine whether the primary or back-up automation system is broadcasting. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , a block diagrammatic view of a triggering insertion system formed according to the present disclosure is set forth. In this embodiment, elements of  FIGS. 3A and 3B  are labeled the same. Also, the automation system  120  in  FIG. 3  has been incorporated in the place of the baseband video server (BVS)  114  illustrated in  FIG. 3A  since the automation system and the BVS may function together. The system illustrated in  FIG. 4  includes further details for inserting insertion material and monitoring insertion material such as commercials, promotional materials and slides. The system set forth in  FIG. 4  is particularly suitable for insertion of material into live channel streams. 
     An encoder  300  such as an MPEG2 encoder may be used to receive material from outside sources into an export producer  302 . The export producer  302  communicates insert content such as commercial spots, slides or promotional material to a workflow system  304 . The workflow system  304  communicates the content to the content repository  104  where it is stored therein. The workflow system  304  may generate an insert material identifier such as an ISCI (Industry Standard Commercial Identifier) for commercial or promotional spots. A typical ISCI identifier format includes an alphabetic identifier identifying the source and a numeric identifier identifying the spot number. The workflow system  304  may also receive content such as pay-per-view content which is assigned a material ID at the workflow system  304 . The material ID and the ISCI may be assigned by the traffic scheduling system  132 . 
     The traffic scheduling system  132  may also set schedules for insertion of various insert materials into broadcast programming. Programming or break windows may be assigned for the insertion of the insertion material. The break windows may also be manually inserted by a system operator. Thus, the schedules may include the time window and the insert material identification. 
     The schedules may be communicated through a web services server  310  to the automation system  120 . Both the back-up and primary automation system  120  may receive the web services&#39; command or schedule. The web services server  310  may be used to assign the automation servers to a particular channel. For example, a control channel identifier CCID may be assigned to a particular automation system  120  that has an automation system address such as “1000.” Both an “a” and “b” address may be used for the primary and back-up automation systems  120 . 
     A router  320  may be used to route various material through the system. The router  320  may be used to communicate content and insert material to the automation system  120 . The automation system  120  may communicate video information through a video LAN connection (VLAN)  322  to the router  320  where it may be monitored through an advanced baseband monitoring system (ABMS)  324 . The ABMS system  324  may include displays for displaying various signals and controlling various signals. 
     The automation system  120  may receive triggers such as a general purpose interface (GPI) trigger, a Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) 104 trigger or a digital program insertion interface (DPI) trigger. Such triggers may be included in the vertical ancillary portion (VANC) data portion of the received signal. The trigger data may include metadata regarding the timing and length of the break. A pre-roll time may be included in the trigger metadata. The pre-roll time is a time corresponding to the time until a break occurs. By communicating the pre-roll time to the automation system the insert material may be retrieved and used. 
     A remote monitor  326  may also be coupled to the router  320 . The remote monitor  326  may be used to receive monitoring signals that may be monitored from a remote site. For example, the remote monitor  326  may be located in the home of a supervisor or the like. The remote monitor, as will be further described below, may be accessed through the internet upon a proper authentication. 
     The above-specified system may be used for both pay-per-view and live content signal streams. In a live content signal stream, content is received through the content sources  140  and received at receiver  160 . The received signals are decoded at the decoders  162  which are then provided to the automation system  120 . For a pay-per-view content stream, the content is retrieved from the content repository  104  and provided to the automation system  120  without the need for receiving and decoding. As will be described below, the automation system  120  may then be used to insert insertion material into a channel signal stream. As will be described below, the monitoring system may be used to monitor the signals. The automation system  120  may be used to monitor the channel signals and the channel signals with the insertion information or insertion insert material. 
     The automation system  120  provides these signals through the remote transfer units  176 , through the encoders  330 , through the LAN  192  through the uplink signal processing system  200  and through the uplink RF system  202  which generates an uplink signal. Components  176 ,  192 ,  200  and  202  were described thoroughly above. 
     The system may also include a billing module  350 . The billing module  350  is shown in communication with the traffic scheduling system  132 . However, the billing module  350  may also be in direct communication with the workflow system  304 , the router  320  or the automation system  120 . The billing system is used to bill insert material providers such as clients  352  for inserting their insert material into the content signal. 
     As will be described below, the insert material provider, such as advertisers, pay to have insert material inserted into the content stream. The clients may receive deviation messages if an insert was unplayed. In response to the deviation message, an authorization reschedule signal may be generated so the insert is rescheduled. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , a method of operating the system illustrated in  FIG. 4  is set forth. In this embodiment, insertion material is received at box  410 . Insert material may be received through the export producer  302  illustrated in  FIG. 4 . 
     In step  412 , an insert material identification is provided. If the insert material is a commercial, the ISCI standard may be used for assigning the insert material identification prior to receiving the insert material or after receiving the insert material. In step  414 , the insert material is stored in the content repository  104 . 
     In step  416 , the traffic scheduling system  132  of  FIG. 4  generates an insertion schedule. As mentioned above, the insertion schedule may include a window for inserting the particular insert material based on the identification. In step  418 , the insertion material is communicated to the automation server  120  of  FIG. 4 . 
     In step  420 , content is received either through the receiver and decoder or from the content repository in the instance of pay-per-view. The content may include triggers that are used to trigger the insertion of the insertion material. Examples of triggers include Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) 104 compliant, a digital program insertion (DPI) trigger or a general purpose interface (GPI) trigger. In step  422 , the content may be monitored through the ABMS  324  or remote monitor  326  illustrated in  FIG. 4 . 
     Based upon the insert schedule in the automation server, insert material may be retrieved by the automation server and stored therein. This may be performed a certain length of time before the insert material is required for insertion into the channel stream. This may occur minutes or hours before the insert material is required. Retrieving may be performed in response to the pre-roll time in the metadata of the trigger. 
     In step  426 , if a trigger has not been reached, the system continues to play out the channel signal. In step  426 , if a trigger has been reached, the insert material is inserted in step  428 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 6 , a first system for monitoring live signals is illustrated. In this configuration, the receiver  160  and the decoder  162  are common to  FIG. 4 . Likewise, the ABMS system  324  and the remote monitor  326  are also common. In this embodiment, one method for monitoring the live signal may be I-frame capture. 
     The live signal is received by the receiver  160  and the decoder  162  to form a decoded signal. The signal may then be communicated to the automation system  120  where it is demultiplexer at demultiplexer  510 . The signal may also undergo a digital-to-analog conversion after the demultiplexing of the signal at the demultiplexer  510 . The digital-to-analog conversion may be used since the signal from the decoder  162  may be a serial digital interface signal. More specifically, the signal from the decoder may be a high-definition serial digital interface signal. The digital-to-analog converter  512  converts the digital signal to an analog signal and provides the analog signal to a decoder  514 . The decoder  514  may be coupled or in communication with an I-frame capture module  516  that captures an I-frame of the analog signal. The I-frame capture module  516  may process the I-frame signal and routes the signal through the router  320  to a display  520 . The display  520  may display the live channel signal  522  and the insertion material or clip  524 . 
     The automation system  120  may also include an insertion module  530  used for inserting the insertion material into the channel stream. The insertion module  530  may also provide a signal to the I-frame capture module  516  so that both the inserted material and the channel signal may be provided and displayed on the display  520 . 
     After the decoder and if insertion is performed at the insertion module  530 , the channel signal may be multiplexed in the multiplexer  540 . The multiplex signal is then provided to the encoder  330  described above. After the encoding at the encoder  330 , the signal is ultimately passed to the uplink RF system  202  as described above in  FIGS. 3A and 3B . 
     An authentication module  542  may also be provided to allow the remote monitor  326  to access the system from a remote location. The authentication module  542  may require a password or other identification to allow access to the system for monitoring or controlling various functions. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 7 , the automation system  120  may also be used to convert the channel signal to an MPEG encoded signal through the MPEG encoder  560 . The MPEG encoder  560  replaces the I-frame capture module  516  illustrated in  FIG. 6 . Thus, the remaining portions of the circuitry act in a similar manner and thus will not be described further. The MPEG encoder  560  may MPEG encode the channel signals and the modified channel signals. A multicast address may be assigned to the signals and routed through the router  320 . In a similar manner to that described above, the display  520  may be used to display both the channel signal and the modified channel signal on the display portions  522  and  524 , respectively. The router  320  may route the signals to the decoder  566 . The decoder  566  may provide the signals to a display  572  that includes a display which displays the signals from the primary automation system  574 , the back-up automation system  576 , the channel signal  580  and a downlinked signal corresponding to the channel signal at the downlink display  582 . The display  572  may be part of the ABMS system. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 8 , a method of monitoring a live signal and returning to the live signal should the event return early is set forth. This may be suitable when a station has a break for a live sporting event but returns prior to the end of the break to capture or display part of the event. This method may be used to avoid not broadcasting part of the event. In step  610 , insert material may be inserted into a live event during a break. The break may be triggered by an SCTE 104 signal, a DPI signal or a GPI signal. However, the break may be manually inserted as well. Manual insertion may be likely for live events. In step  612 , the modified content signal is broadcast over the air. In step  612 , the modified channel signal and the unmodified channel signal may be monitored in step  612 . If the break does not end prior to the insertion, step  612  continues to monitor the system. In step  614 , if the break ends prior to the end of the insertion material, step  616  is performed which communicates a termination message to the automation system. This may be performed automatically using the ABMS system or the monitoring system. This may also be performed manually by selecting a button or the like on a control terminal under the control of a system operator. In step  618 , the insertion material is discontinued. Thereafter, the channel signal or unmodified channel signal is communicated so that it is broadcast through the system in step  620 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 9 , a method for operating the automation systems  120  of  FIG. 4  is illustrated. The method sets forth a method for tracking content within the automation system. 
     In step  710 , a traffic schedule that is channel-based is generated at the traffic scheduling system. The traffic schedule may be an original schedule or may be a delta schedule communicating a difference or variation in the traffic schedule. The traffic schedule may be delivered to the automation system independent of the schedule of the content channel. In step  712  the schedule is appended to the schedule in the automation system. If only a partial schedule has been received in step  714 , the different portions of the schedule are replaced in step  716 . In step  714 , if a partial schedule has not been received, or after step  716 , an as-run log for the automation servers for each channel is generated in step  718 . It should be noted that the traffic schedules may be communicated well in advance of the actual air times. For example, the schedules may be sent 24-48 hours in advance. The generation of the as-run logs at the automation servers will be further described below in  FIGS. 10-12 . The as-run logs track the actual content communicated through the automation system. Both the primary and the back-up automation system may include an as-run log. Ultimately, a consolidated as-run log may be communicated to the billing system so that proper billing for a particular client may be performed. 
     The as-run logs may be stored at the automation system in step  720 . 
     In step  722 , the as-run logs may be communicated to the traffic scheduling system (TSS) and ultimately to the billing system as mentioned above. In step  724 , if a failure of communication of the as-run logs is provided, step  726  sends an alarm to the monitoring system. 
     After step  726  and if no failure is generated at step  724 , step  728  may be used to clear the automation system. In step  728 , the traffic scheduling system may generate a wipe-list and communicate the wipe-list to the automation system. The wipe-list may be used to purge metadata and the content cache within the automation system. Before the various content is deleted, step  730  determines whether a clip is in the schedule. If a clip is not in the schedule, the metadata and content cache is purged in step  732 . Step  734  then ends the process. 
     Referring back to step  730 , if the clip is in a schedule, an invalid wipe-list message is generated in step  736 . This prevents the metadata, content cache and any clips stored therein from being deleted. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 10 , a consolidated as-run log is illustrated. The as-run log contains a number of rows  812 - 820 . Each row is an entry corresponding to an event. It should be noted that the as-run log is only a small portion of a potential as-run log that may span for hours or days. Each row may contain various types of information. The information may include more or less information as is set forth in the example of  FIG. 10 . 
     The consolidated as-run log  810  may include various columns that include the user channel number or other type of channel identifier such as the content channel identifier (CCID). The output channel may also be part of this information. 
     The scheduled start time and the scheduled end time may also be part of the as-run log. Acknowledgments and other information may also be provided. A description of the channel may also be provided in the as-run log. 
     An event type corresponding to the type of event in the as-run log may be set forth. For example, the primary A channel may be set forth. Other information, such as advertising information, logos, stills, captions, voiceovers, conditional access or crawl information may be provided. Another column in the as-run log may be an actual start time. The actual start time and the scheduled start time may not correspond exactly due to transmission variances. A material ID may also be provided. An actual duration of the content may also be provided. The actual duration may illustrate that a particular piece of content, although starting on time, did not finish due to another event. A status message such as success or failure may also be provided. A pair status may also be provided to convey which of the primary or back-up automation systems were used for the on-air signal. As mentioned above, this will allow the billing for the various content to be reconciled. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 11A , a simplified primary log  900  is illustrated having various times and illustrating on-air and off-air portions. A back-up log  902  illustrated in  FIG. 11B  has the same times; however, at the off-air times, the primary log is on-line. 
     The combination of  FIGS. 11A and 11B  are illustrated in  FIG. 11C .  FIG. 11C  illustrates a consolidated log formed from the primary log  900  and the back-up log  902 . The consolidated log  904  has various time frames with a notation of whether the primary or back-up automation system was used in the process. It should be noted that  FIGS. 11A-11C  have been simplified. Various other types of data may be provided as mentioned above in  FIG. 10 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 12 , a method for generating the as-run logs is illustrated. The method set forth in  FIG. 12  corresponds generally to step  718  of  FIG. 9 . 
     In step  1010 , the status of the RTU switch is monitored. If the switch status has been changed in step  1012 , a switch message to the automation system to update the as-run log is generated. The monitoring may take place at the advance broadcast management system  324 . The message may be transmitted from the ABMS system to the automation system through the router  320 . By monitoring a change in the switch status, the proper automation system may ultimately identified in the consolidated as-run log. 
     Another change to the run log may be performed by monitoring the encoder in step  1016 . If an encoder is not operating properly, the automation system, without anything further, would not know. Therefore, the ABMS system  324  monitors the encoder and generates a message to the automation system. The ABMS system may be used to insert a slide at the multiplexer of the USPS  200  upon a problem or error at the encoder  330 . When a slide is inserted, a slide insertion signal may be generated. In step  1018 , if a slide has been inserted, a message is generated to the automation system to update the run log in step  1020 . If a slide has not been inserted in step  1018  or after step  1020 , step  1022  updates the as-run log. After the as-run log is generated for both the primary and back-up automation systems, a consolidated run log may be generated in step  1024 . The consolidated run log may contain only the on-air portions of the content signal. The run log will contain which automation system was used and whether or not the encoder was operating properly. By knowing when the encoder is not operating properly, a proper determination as to whether a client should be billed for the particular advertising may be made. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 13 , a method for real time reconciliation is illustrated. The present method for real time reconciliation may be used for various types of material including on-line material, in addition to the satellite television broadcasting example set forth above. In step  1110 , a pre-break window and a post-break window are generated in a scheduling system. In step  1112 , if a trigger is not received within the pre-break window (pre and post), step  1116  is performed which generates a schedule deviation message. In step  1112 , if the trigger was received within the break window, the run log is updated in step  1114  as described above. A manual skip or bypass generated by an operator may also be used to skip a trigger. Therefore, in step  1118 , if a manual skip is generated, step  1116  is performed. 
     In step  1116 , a schedule deviation message or signal is generated. Thereafter, if the business rules allow for a rescheduling, the business rules reschedule the insert material in step  1112 . The rescheduling of the insert material may take place at the scheduling system. The updated schedule is then conveyed to the automation system where the automation system is updated. If a business rule does not allow for the reschedule in step  1120 , step  1126  may be performed. In step  1126  a deviation message may be communicated to a client through the billing module  350  described above. The client  352  of  FIG. 4  may be given an opportunity to immediately respond to the missed opportunity caused by the lack of a trigger within the break window. In step  1128 , if the client responds positively with an authorization to schedule signal, a reschedule of the insert material is provided in step  1122 . If the client does not respond positively, the insert material is not rescheduled and thus the system ends in step  1124 . As mentioned above, this embodiment may be used for the rescheduling of commercial or other promotional material into a content or channel stream. This may be performed for a satellite television broadcasting system. However, this same method applies to the internet or other forms of advertising. If, during a particular time, such as the time window, a pop-up ad or other type of advertising has not been displayed, a system similar to that described above may perform real time reconciliation to reschedule the insert based upon business rules or based upon an authorization from the client. 
     Those skilled in the art can now appreciate from the foregoing description that the broad teachings of the disclosure can be implemented in a variety of forms. Therefore, while this disclosure includes particular examples, the true scope of the disclosure should not be so limited since other modifications will become apparent to the skilled practitioner upon a study of the drawings, the specification and the following claims.