DECODING MEDIA CONTENT AT A WIRELESS RECEIVER

• US 20090304115A1
• Filed: 06/26/2007
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Inventors: Pittaway, Richard E., Rix, Antony W., Michaelson-Yeates, Philip
• Granted Patent: US 8,973,026 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/340
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/14 Arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/40 for identifying broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/91 Mobile communication networks for accessing the Internet H04H60/85
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6112 involving terrestrial transmission, e.g. DVB-T
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6181 involving transmission via a mobile phone network arrangements for providing broadcast or conference services to substation in data switching networks in combination with wireless systems H04L12/189; wireless uplink channel access H04W74/004
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/63775 for uploading keys, e.g. for a client to communicate its public key to the server key management H04L9/08; network support of key management H04L63/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/835 Generation of protective data, e.g. certificates protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8355 involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A wireless receiver (17), in the form of a mobile telephone, comprises a DAB receiver (31) and a GSM/GPRS transceiver (29) which enables bi-directional point-to-point data communications via a service provider (55). The DAB receiver (31) is arranged to receive media data from an over-the-air broadcast channel, the media data primarily representing television and radio streams. In order that the streams can be decoded and decrypted by media playing software (47) on the wireless receiver (17), a provisioning operation is employed to provide NSC header files and DRM licences to users in response to them making content requests. The header files and licenses are sent over a separate data channel and in advance of the broadcast content.

Claims

1. A method of receiving decoding information at a wireless receiver to enable the decoding of encoded media content received from an over-the-air broadcast channel, the method comprising:

(a) at a time t_d, receiving a programme information file (PIF) comprising at least one link to a respective decoding file stored at a remote location, the or each decoding file being associated with media content to be transmitted in an over-the-air broadcast channel at a subsequent broadcast time t_b and comprising information for software provided at the wireless receiver to decode the encoded media content;

(b) activating said at least one link at the wireless receiver thereby to cause transmission of the associated decoding file from said remote location; and

(c) storing said at least one received decoding file in memory on the wireless receiver.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein step (a) comprises receiving said the or each decoding file from the remote location over a data link that is independent of the over-the-air broadcast channel.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the received PIF comprises a hyperlink to the remote location, activation of said hyperlink being operable to establish an internet protocol (IP) session between the wireless receiver and the remote location thereby to enable transmission of the decoding file.

4. A method according to any preceding claim 1, wherein the activating step (b) is performed automatically at the wireless receiver without human-intervention.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein a check is performed between steps (a) and (b) to determine if there is sufficient memory available on the wireless receiver to store the decoding file, step (b) being performed only if sufficient memory is available.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the PIF is received over a wireless data link.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the PIF is received at the wireless receiver from a cellular communications network.

8. A method according to claim 1, further comprising, prior to step (a), sending a PIF request from the wireless receiver to a remote location, the PIF request being sent over a wireless data link and identifying the wireless receiver such that the PIF sent back in step (a) is particular to said wireless receiver.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the decoding file is a programme header file comprising information at least identifying the encoding format of the encoded media content thereby to enable decoding and output by the software at the wireless receiver.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the decoding tile is a license file from which can be derived a key suitable for decoding the associated media content thereby to enable decoding and output by the software of the wireless receiver.

11. A method of receiving media content transmitted in an over-the-air broadcast signal, the method being performed at a wireless receiver having media playing software stored thereon, the method comprising:

at a time t_p, receiving and storing a decoding file in accordance with claim 1;

at a subsequent time t_b, receiving encoded media content from an over-the-air broadcast signal;

decoding the encoded media content using information in the received decoding file; and

outputting the decoded media content using the media playing software.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the encoded media content is received in response to user-selection of said content from a plurality of media content streams receivable from one or more over-the-air broadcast signals.

13. A method according to claim 11, wherein a plurality of decoding files associated with respective content streams are stored at the wireless receiver, and wherein the decoding step further comprises identifying a decoding file associated with the received encoded content stream.

14. A method according to claim 11, wherein the encoded media content is extracted from a DAB multiplex/ensemble.

16. A computer program stored on a computer-readable medium, the program comprising computer-readable instructions for performing the steps of a method according to claim 1.

17. A wireless receiver comprising processing means arranged to operate under the control of the computer program as claimed in claim 16.

15. A method of receiving decryption information at a wireless receiver to enable the decoding of encrypted media content received from an over-the-air broadcast channel, the method comprising:

(a) at a time t_d, receiving a programme information file (PIF) comprising at least one link to a respective decryption file stored at a remote location, the or each decryption file being associated with media content to be transmitted in an over-the-air broadcast channel at a subsequent broadcast time t_b and comprising information for software provided at the wireless receiver to decrypt the encrypted media content;

(b) activating said at least one link at the wireless receiver thereby to cause transmission of the associated decryption file from said remote location; and

(c) storing said at least one received decryption file in memory on the wireless receiver.

18. A method for delivering decoding information to a wireless receiver to enable the decoding of encoded media content transmitted in an over-the-air broadcast signal, the method comprising:

(a) transmitting a programme information file (PIF) comprising at least one link to a respective decoding file to the wireless receiver, the or each decoding file being associated with media content to be transmitted in an over-the-air broadcast channel at a subsequent broadcast time t_b and comprising Information for software provided at the wireless receiver to decode the encoded media content;

(b) in response to activation of one or more links in the PIE, sending the associated decoding file to the wireless receiver at a time t_d which is prior to said broadcast time t_b.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein step (a) comprises sending the PIF to the wireless receiver over a wireless data link.

20. A method according to claim 19, wherein the PIF is sent to the wireless receiver using a cellular communications network.

21. A method according to claim 20, wherein the PIF is sent to the wireless receiver using WAP Push.

22. A method according to claim 18, wherein step (a) is performed in response to receiving a PIF request from the wireless receiver, the PIF request being sent over a wireless data link and identifying the wireless receiver such that the PIF sent back in step (a) is particular to said wireless receiver.

23. A method according to claim 18, wherein the decoding file is a programme header file comprising information at least identifying the encoding format of the encoded media content thereby to enable decoding and output by software of the wireless receiver.

24. A method according to claim 18, wherein the decoding file is a license file from which can be derived a key suitable for decoding the associated media content thereby to enable decoding and output by the software of the wireless receiver.

25. A computer program stored on a computer-readable medium, the program comprising computer-readable instructions for performing the steps of a method according to claim 18.

26. Apparatus comprising processing means arranged to operate under the control of the computer program as claimed in claim 25.

27. A method for delivering one or more decryption keys to a wireless receiver thereby to enable decryption, at said wireless receiver, of encrypted media content transmitted in an over-the-air broadcast signal, the method comprising:

(a) transmitting a programme information file (PIE) comprising at least one link to a respective decryption file to the wireless receiver, the or each decryption file being associated with encrypted media content to be transmitted in an over-the-air broadcast channel at a subsequent broadcast time t_b and comprising information for software provided at the wireless receiver to decrypt the encrypted media content;

(b) in response to activation of one or more links in the PIF, sending the associated decryption file to the wireless receiver at a time t_d which is prior to said broadcast time t_b.

30. A computer program stored on a computer-readable medium, the program comprising computer-readable instructions for performing the steps of a method according to claim 27.

31. Apparatus comprising processing means arranged to operate under the control of the computer program as claimed in claim 30.

28. A method for receiving and decoding media content at a wireless receiver, the method being performed at the wireless receiver and comprising:

(a) receiving a first message comprising a hyperlink to a first location, downloading a programme information file therefrom which includes a hyperlink to a second location, and activating said hyperlink to download and storing one or more decoding files from the second location using a non-broadcast data channel;

(b) selecting a media content stream receivable from a unidirectional broadcast channel;

(c) identifying a stored decoding file suitable for decoding the selected media content stream in (b); and

(d) receiving and decoding the selected media content stream using the decoding file identified in step (c).

29. A method according to claim 28 in which the hyperlinks are activated automatically without human intervention.

32. Apparatus for receiving and outputting digital content receivable from an over-the-air broadcast signal, the apparatus comprising:

a broadcast receiver for receiving digital media content from an over-the-air broadcast channel;

a wireless transceiver for establishing a data channel with a remote server;

a control system; and

decoding means,

wherein the wireless transceiver is arranged to receive a programme information file (PIE) comprising a link to a remote server storing one or more decoding files, automatically to activate the link to establish a data channel with said server, to-receive one or more decoding files from said server, and to store the or each decoding file in storage means, wherein the control system is arranged, in response to receiving identification of selected media content, to identify a decoding file in said storage means that is associated with said selected media content, and wherein the decoding means is operable to receive said selected encoded media content from the broadcast channel and to decode the media content using the identified decoding file.