Method and apparatus for detecting media content

摘要

A central database provides a location for creating and storing samples of known television commercials. The database of commercial samples is downloaded to a set-top box via a communicate link. The set-top box incorporates a processor for comparing a television signal with the database of known commercial messages to detect the presence of commercial messages. The set-top box may be used to control a recording unit to stop recording for the duration of the commercial message or flag the commercial message for muting or manual skipping during playback. Using this system, the user has the ability to positively detect commercial messages and eliminate the commercials from viewing if desired.