ASYMMETRIC CONTENT DELIVERY OF MEDIA CONTENT

• US 20140282767A1
• Filed: 12/20/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Kummer, David A., Tirpak, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 9,866,889 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/93
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/414 Specialised client platforms, e.g. receiver in car or embedded in a mobile appliance
• 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 21/4367 Establishing a secure communication between the client and a peripheral device or smart card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/631 Multimode Transmission, e.g. transmitting basic layers and enhancement layers of the content over different transmission paths or transmitting with different error corrections, different keys or with different transmission protocols

Abstract

Systems, devices and methods are provided to support efficient and secure delivery of a media stream or content file to a mobile phone, tablet, computer or other remote device. Most of the media stream'"'"'s content is received directly from a content source for efficient bandwidth allocation, but at least a portion of the stream is delivered from a set top box, television receiver, or other home device that is located at the customer'"'"'s premises to preserve the security of the stream. The portion that is delivered from the home device may be a key portion of the stream that is essential to the playback of media stream.

Claims

1. A method executable by a remote media player device that communicates on a network and that is operable by a user, the method comprising:

receiving a selection of a media program available from a content source on the network that is to be played back for the user, wherein the selected media program is represented by a media stream that is viewable using the remote media player device;

establishing a first connection over the network between the remote media player device and a home device that is associated with the user, wherein the home device is separate from the content source;

establishing a second connection over the network between the remote media player device and the content source, wherein the second connection is separate from the first connection;

receiving a first portion of the media stream via the first connection with the home device;

simultaneously receiving a second portion of the media stream via the second connection with the content source; and

reassembling the first and second portions of the media stream by the remote media player device for playback of the media stream to the user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first portion of the media stream received from the home device consumes less bandwidth on the network than the second portion of the media stream that is received from the content source.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the first portion of the media stream received from the home device comprises a key portion of the media stream such that the media stream is not decodable by the remote media player device without the first portion of the media stream.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the media stream comprises an MPEG elementary stream, and wherein the key portion comprises the intraframes of the MPEG elementary stream.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the frames other than the intraframes of the MPEG elementary stream are simultaneously provided to the remote media player device via the second connection to the content source.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the media stream is encoded using a discrete cosine transform to produce DC components and AC components, and wherein the DC components are provided to the remote media player device via the first connection to the home device and the AC components are simultaneously provided to the remote media player device via the second connection to the content source.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the media stream is an adaptive media stream represented by a series of segments, and wherein a first subset of the series of segments is obtained via the first connection to the home device, and wherein a second subset of the series of segments is simultaneously obtained via the second connection to the content source.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the first subset of segments is smaller than the second subset of segments.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

initially attempting to obtain the media stream representing the selected program directly from a content source;

if the media stream representing the selected program is obtainable directly from the content source, requesting the media stream directly from the content source via the network; and

if the media stream representing the selected program is not obtainable directly from the content source, then contacting a connection service to obtain an address of the home device.

10. A remote media player device to play back a media stream for a user, the remote media player device comprising:

an interface to a network; and

a processor configured to;

receive a selection of a media program available from a content source on the network that is to be played back for the user, wherein the selected media program is represented by the media stream;

establish a first connection via the interface, wherein the first connection is established between the remote media player device and a home device that is associated with the user, wherein the home device is separate from the content source;

establish a second connection via the interface that is separate from the first connection, wherein the second connection is established between the remote media player device and the content source;

receive a first portion of the media stream via the first connection with the home device;

simultaneously receive a second portion of the media stream via the second connection with the content source; and

reassemble the first and second portions of the media stream for playback of the media stream to the user.

11. The remote media player device of claim 11 wherein the remote device is a mobile computing device carried by the user, and wherein the home device is a television receiver located at the user'"'"'s home premises that receives broadcast television content for the user.

12. The remote media player device of claim 11 wherein the content source is a remote storage digital video recorder (RSDVR) that is controllable by the user but that is operated by a content distributor.

13. A method executable by a content source to provide a media stream to a remote device over a network for playback to a user, the method comprising:

receiving a request for the media stream from the remote device at the content source via the network;

in response to the request, the content source establishing a first connection to a home device that is associated with the user and a second connection to the remote device;

providing a first portion of the media stream to the home device via the first connection and a second portion of the media stream to the remote device via the second connection, wherein the home device forwards the first portion of the media stream to the remote device so that the remote device is able to reassemble the media stream from the first and second portions for playback to the user.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the content source is a remote service digital video recorder (RSDVR) that is operated by the user but maintained by a content service provider, and wherein the home device is a television receiver that receives broadcast television content provided by the content service provider.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the first portion of the media stream provided to the home device consumes less bandwidth on the network than the second portion of the media stream that is provided to the remote device.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the first portion of the media stream provided to the home device comprises a key portion of the media stream such that the media stream is not decodable by the remote media player device without the first portion of the media stream.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the media stream comprises an MPEG elementary stream, and wherein the key portion comprises the intraframes of the MPEG elementary stream.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the frames other than the intraframes of the MPEG elementary stream are simultaneously provided to the remote media player device via the second connection to the content source.

19. The method of claim 13 wherein the media stream is encoded using a discrete cosine transform to produce DC components and AC components, and wherein the DC components are provided via the first connection to the home device and the AC components are simultaneously provided to the remote media player device via the second connection.

20. The method of claim 13 wherein the media stream is an adaptive media stream represented by a series of segments, and wherein a first subset of the series of segments is obtained via the first connection to the home device, and wherein a second subset of the series of segments is simultaneously obtained via the second connection to the content source, and wherein the first subset of segments is smaller than the second subset of segments.