SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR TRANSCODING AND PLACE SHIFTING MEDIA CONTENT

• US 20110055864A1
• Filed: 08/26/2009
• Published: 03/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sling Media LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sling Media Incorporated (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Asnis, Ilya, Rao, Padmanabha R., Shah, Bhupendra Natwerlan
• Granted Patent: US 9,160,974 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/30 Compression, e.g. Merkle-Damgard construction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/34 Encoding or coding, e.g. Huffman coding or error correction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/065 Encryption by serially and continuously modifying data stream elements, e.g. stream cipher systems, RC4, SEAL or A5/3
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440218 by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 conversion of standards in analogue television systems H04N7/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4405 involving video stream decryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4408 involving video stream encryption, e.g. re-encrypting a decrypted video stream for redistribution in a home network
• 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 7/1675 Providing digital key or authorisation information for generation or regeneration of the scrambling sequence pseudo-random number generators in general G06F7/58

Abstract

A set-top box (STB), digital video recorder (DVR), video player or other host device receives and interacts with a transcode module to provide enhanced transcoding capabilities that may be useful in placeshifting or other applications. The transcode module includes a host interface that couples to and communicates with the host device. The transcode module also includes a processor that receives an encrypted media stream from the host device via the bus interface, decrypts the encrypted media stream, transcodes the encrypted media stream to a different format, re-encrypts the transcoded stream, and provides the re-encrypted media stream to the host device via the host interface. The transcoded media content may be placeshifted to a remote player, stored at the host, or used for any other purpose.

Claims

1. A transcode module configured to interact with a host device, the transcode module comprising:

a host interface configured to couple to and communicate with the host device; and

a processor configured to receive a first encrypted stream from the host device via the host interface, wherein the first encrypted stream comprises a media stream in a first format, and wherein the processor is further configured to decrypt the encrypted stream, to transcode the media stream from the first format to a second format different from the first format, to encrypt the transcoded media stream in the second format to generate a second encrypted stream, and to provide the second encrypted stream to the host device via the host interface.

2. The transcode module of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to establish a placeshifting session with a remote device that is in communication with the host device via a communication network, and wherein the second encrypted stream is transmitted to the remote device over the communication network via the host interface.

3. The transcode module of claim 2 wherein the processor is further configured to receive an instruction related to the placeshifting session from the remote device and to direct the host device to adjust the media stream in response to the instruction.

4. The transcode module of claim 3 wherein the processor is further configured to establish a first key with the host device to decrypt the encrypted media stream and to establish a second key with the remote device to encrypt the media stream in the second format.

5. The transcode module of claim 1 further comprising a power management module configured to receive electrical power from the host interface and to provide at least a portion of the electrical power to the processor.

6. The transcode module of claim 1 wherein all of the electrical power for the transcoded module is received from the host device via the host interface.

7. The transcode module of claim 1 wherein the host interface is a universal serial bus (USB) interface.

8. The transcode module of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to decrypt the encrypted stream and to encrypt the transcoded media stream using a common session key.

9. A method executable by a digital processor of a transcode module that interfaces with a host device via a host interface, the method comprising:

receiving a first encrypted media stream from the host device via the host interface, wherein the first encrypted media stream comprises a media stream in a first format;

decrypting the first encrypted media stream to extract the media stream in the first format;

transcoding the extracted media stream from the first format to a second format different from the first format;

encrypting the transcoded media stream in the second format to generate a second encrypted media stream; and

providing the second encrypted media stream to the host device via the host interface.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising establishing a placeshifting session with a remote device that is in communication with the host device via a communication network, and wherein the providing comprises facilitating transmission of the second encrypted media stream to the remote device over the communications network via the host device.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising receiving an instruction related to the placeshifting session from the remote device and directing the host device to adjust the media stream in response to the instruction.

12. The method of claim 9 further comprising receiving a request for a placeshifting session from a remote device via the host interface, wherein the remote device is in communication with the host device via a communication network.

13. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

establishing a first session key with the host device; and

establishing a second session key with a remote device in communication with the host device via a communication network;

wherein the decrypting comprises decrypting the first encrypted media stream using the first session key, and wherein the encrypting comprises encrypting the second encrypted media stream using the second session key.

14. A method executable by a host device, the method comprising:

encrypting the media stream in a first format to create an encrypted media stream;

providing the encrypted media stream to a transcode module that is physically coupled to the host device;

receiving a transcoded media stream from the transcode module at the host device, wherein the transcoded media stream comprises the media stream in a second format different from the first format; and

directing the transmission of the transcoded media stream from the host device to a remote player via a communication network.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising adjusting the media stream in response to an instruction received from the transcode module.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the transcoded media stream is encrypted, and wherein the transcoded media stream is transmitted to the remote player without decrypting the transcoded media stream at the host device.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising receiving a television programming stream from a television system operator, and demodulating the television programming stream to create a media stream in a first format.

18. A set top box comprising:

a receiver interface configured to receive a television programming stream;

a display interface configured to provide television programming signals to a display;

a network interface configured to be coupled to a digital communications network;

a bus interface configured to couple with a transcode module; and

a controller configured to direct the reception of the television programming stream via the receiver interface, to receive a request for a placeshifting session from a remote player via the network interface, to establish an encryption key with the transcode module, to encrypt the received television programming stream using the session key, to provide the encrypted television programming stream to the transcode module, to receive a transcoded media stream from the transcode module via the bus interface, and to transmit the transcoded media stream to the remote player via the network interface.

19. The set top box of claim 18 wherein the controller is further configured to direct a demodulation of the television programming stream to create a media stream in a first format, and wherein the controller is further configured to provide the media stream in the first format to either the display interface for presentation on the display or to the transcode module for transcoding of the media stream from the first format to a second format different from the first format that is transmittable on the digital communications network to thereby allow placeshifting of the television programming stream to the remote player over the communications network.

20. The set top box of claim 18 wherein the bus interface is a universal serial bus (USB) interface, and wherein the transcode module is a USB-compatible device that is physically connected to the set top box using the USB interface, and wherein the bus interface provides all of the electrical power used by the transcode module.