Selective encryption for video on demand

• US 7,039,938 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2002
• Issued: 05/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Candelore, Brant L.
• Primary Examiner(s): BUI, KIEU OANH T
• Application Number:
  US10/319,133
• Publication Number:
  US 20030145329A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,236 Days
• Field of Search: 725/31, 725/76, 725/87, 725/91, 725/95, 725/97, 725/103, 725/106, 725/92, 725/93, 380/200, 380/210, 380/216, 380/217
• US Class Current: 725/87
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2347 involving video stream encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25808 Management of client data terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4516 involving client characteristics, e.g. Set-Top-Box type, software version or amount of memory available
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• 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

Abstract

A video on demand (VOD) method, consistent with the invention involves storing multiple selective encrypted VOD content on a VOD server; receiving an order for the VOD content specifying delivery to a target decoder; determining what CA encryption system is associated with the order; stripping all encrypted segments from the multiple selectively encrypted content that are not associated with the order to produce single selectively encrypted VOD content; and sending the single selectively encrypted VOD content to the target decoder. The multiple selectively encrypted VOD content can be created by examining unencrypted data representing digital content to identify segments of content for encryption; encrypting the identified segments of content using a first encryption method associated with a first conditional access system to produce first encrypted segments; encrypting the identified segments of content using a second encryption method associated with a second conditional access system to produce second encrypted segments; and replacing the identified segments of content with the first encrypted content and the second encrypted content in the digital content, to produce the multiple selectively encrypted VOD content.

Claims

1. A video on demand (VOD) method, comprising:

storing multiple selective encrypted VOD content on a VOD server;

wherein the multiple selective encrypted VOD content comprises a single instance of digital data representing a VOD program in which selected portions of the digital data representing the VOD program are duplicated to produce first and second duplicate copies of the selected portions of the digital data, and wherein the first duplicate copy of the selected portions of the digital data are encrypted under a first Conditional Access (CA) encryption system and the second duplicate copy of the selected portions of the digital data are encrypted under a second CA encryption system, and wherein portions of the digital data representing the VOD program which are unselected remain unencrypted, so that decryption of either one of the first and second duplicate copies of the digital data and combining the decrypted copy of the selected portions of the digital data representing the VOD program with the unselected portions of the digital data representing the VOD program recreates the single instance of digital data representing the VOD program;

receiving an order for the VOD content specifying delivery to a target decoder;

determining what CA encryption system is associated with target decoder of the order;

stripping all encrypted segments from the multiple selectively encrypted content that are not associated with the CA encryption system associated with the target decoder of the order to produce single selectively encrypted VOD content, wherein single selectively encrypted VOD content comprises digital data representing the VOD program in which only a single one of the first and second CA encrypted duplicate data remains for the encrypted selected portions; and

sending the single selectively encrypted VOD content to the target decoder.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

examining unencrypted data representing digital content to identify segments of content for encryption;

encrypting the identified segments of content using a first encryption method associated with a first conditional access system to produce first encrypted segments;

encrypting the identified segments of content using a second encryption method associated with a second conditional access system to produce second encrypted segments; and

replacing the identified segments of content with the first encrypted content and the second encrypted content in the digital content to produce the multiple selectively encrypted VOD content.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising associating a packet identifier (PID) with the single selectively encrypted VOD content, wherein the same PIDs are used for encrypted and unencrypted segments of content.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the decoder comprises a television Set-top box.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the VOD server resides at a cable hub.

6. A computer readable medium storing instructions which, when executed on a programmed processor, carry out the VOD method according to claim 1.

7. An electronic transmission medium carrying single selectively encrypted VOD content created by the method according to claim 1.

8. A video on demand (VOD) method, comprising:

examining unencrypted digital data representing a single instance of digital content to identify segments of data for encryption;

encrypting the identified segments of data forming a part of the content using a first encryption method associated with a first conditional access system to produce first encrypted data segments;

encrypting a duplicate of the identified segments of data using a second encryption method associated with a second conditional access system to produce second encrypted data segments;

replacing the identified segments of data with the first encrypted data segments and the second encrypted data segments in the digital content, to produce the multiple selectively encrypted VOD content;

storing the multiple selective encrypted VOD content on a VOD server residing at a cable hub;

receiving an order for the VOD content specifying delivery to a target decoder;

determining what CA encryption system is associated with the order;

stripping all encrypted data segments from the multiple selectively encrypted content that are not encrypted using the CA encryption system associated with the order to produce single selectively encrypted VOD content;

associating a packet identifier (PID) with the single selectively encrypted VOD content, wherein the same PIDs are used for encrypted and unencrypted segments of content; and

sending the single selectively encrypted VOD content to the target decoder.

9. A video on demand (VOD) encoder, comprising:

a programmed processor that examines unencrypted data representing digital content to identify segments of data representing portions of the digital content for encryption;

a first encrypter that encrypts the identified segments of data representing portions of the digital content using a first encryption method associated with a first conditional access system to produce first encrypted segments;

a second encrypter that encrypts a duplicate of the data representing the identified segments of data representing portions of the digital content using a second encryption method associated with a second conditional access system to produce second encrypted segments;

wherein the programmed processor further receives the first and second encrypted segments and replaces the identified segments of data representing the digital content with the first encrypted segments and the second encrypted segments in the digital content, to produce the multiple selectively encrypted VOD content;

means for storing the multiple selective encrypted VOD content;

means for receiving an order for the VOD content specifying delivery to a target decoder;

means for determining what CA encryption system is associated with the order; and

wherein the programmed processor strips all encrypted segments from the multiple selectively encrypted content that are not associated with the CA encryption system associated with the order to produce single selectively encrypted VOD content.

10. The encoder according to claim 9, wherein the programmed processor further associates a packet identifier (PID) with the single selectively encrypted VOD content, wherein the same PIDs are used for encrypted and unencrypted segments of content, and sends the single selectively encrypted VOD content to the target decoder.

11. A selectively encrypted video on demand (VOD) system, comprising:

a VOD server storing multiple selective encrypted VOD content;

wherein the multiple selective encrypted VOD content comprises a single instance of digital data representing a VOD program in which selected portions of the digital data representing the VOD program are duplicated to produce first and second duplicate copies of the selected portions of the digital data, and wherein the first duplicate copy of the selected portions of the digital data are encrypted under a first Conditional Access (CA) encryption system and the second duplicate copy of the selected portions of the digital data are encrypted under a second CA encryption system, and wherein portions of the digital data representing the VOD program which are unselected remain unencrypted, so that decryption of either one of the first and second duplicate copies of the digital data and combining the decrypted copy of the selected portions of the digital data representing the VOD program with the unselected portions of the digital data representing the VOD program recreates the single instance of digital data representing the VOD program;

program means running on a programmed processor for receiving an order for the VOD content specifying delivery to a target decoder, and for determining a CA encryption system associated with the order;

wherein, in response to the order, the VOD server strips all encrypted segments from the multiple selectively encrypted content that are not associated with the CA encryption system of the target decoder of the order to produce single selectively encrypted VOD content;

a target decoder addressable by the VOD server, wherein single selectively encrypted VOD content comprises digital data representing the VOD program in which only a single one of the first and second CA encrypted duplicate data remains for the encrypted selected portions; and

means for sending the single selectively encrypted VOD content from the VOD server to the target decoder.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein:

the VOD server carries out a programmed process that examines unencrypted data representing digital content to identify segments of content for encryption;

and further comprising;

a first encrypter that encrypts the identified segments of content using a first encryption method associated with a first conditional access system to produce first encrypted segments;

a second encrypter that encrypts the identified segments of content using a second encryption method associated with a second conditional access system to produce second encrypted segments; and

wherein the VOD server replaces the identified segments of content with the first encrypted content and the second encrypted content in the digital content, to produce the multiple selectively encrypted VOD content.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the VOD server further associates a packet identifier (PID) with the single selectively encrypted VOD content, wherein the same PIDs are used for encrypted and unencrypted segments of content.

14. The system according to claim 11, wherein the decoder comprises a television Set-top box.

15. The system according to claim 11, wherein the VOD server resides at a cable hub.

16. The system according to claim 11, wherein the VOD server resides at a cable system head end.

17. An electronic storage medium storing selectively encrypted video on demand (VOD) programming, comprising:

a file representing a single instance of digital multiple selective encrypted VOD content comprising;

segments of data representing unencrypted VOD content;

first encrypted segments of data representing VOD content encrypted using a first encryption method associated with a first conditional access system;

second encrypted segments of data representing VOD content encrypted using a second encryption method associated with a second conditional access system;

the first and second encrypted segments of data representing VOD content representing the same segment of data when not encrypted;

a first segment of code that when executed operates to remove one of the first and second encrypted segments of data representing VOD content from the multiple selective encrypted VOD content to produce single selectively encrypted content for transmission to a target decoder.

18. The electronic storage medium according to claim 17, wherein the first segment of code operates to remove one of the first and second encrypted segments of VOD content upon receipt of an order for the VOD content specifying delivery to a target decoder, and upon determining which CA encryption system is associated with the order.

19. The electronic storage medium according to claim 17, further comprising a second segment of code that sends the single selectively encrypted VOD content to the target decoder.

20. The electronic storage medium according to claim 17, further comprising a third segment of code that associates a packet identifier (PID) with the single selectively encrypted VOD content, wherein the same PIDs are used for encrypted and unencrypted segments of content.