Fingerprinting for Solving A/V Synchronization Issues within Broadcast Environments

Loss of synchronization between image and sound continues to annoy viewers and trouble broadcasters. With ever-increasing complexity in the distribution and delivery systems, the challenge for providers is to guarantee synchronization without modifying content while still keeping costs low. Media fingerprinting is an emerging technology that is gaining momentum and has far-reaching benefits for content creators, providers, and distributors alike. This paper describes Media Fingerprinting and its application to the maintenance of audio and video synchronization as well as other media management challenges. Ways in which standardization could help to promote this useful technology will also be considered.