Apparatus and method for processing content signals from multiple signal sources
First Claim
1. An apparatus for processing content signals, comprising:
- at least one tuner/demodulator, adapted to receive content signals transmitted from a first satellite network broadcasting a first content signal and a second satellite network broadcasting a second content signal, and to demodulate the received content signals as bitstreams;
at least one access control device for supporting at least one conditional access system of said first and second satellite sources that is associated with the received and demodulated bitstreams, wherein the first content signal transmitted from the first satellite network comprises a control word for the first satellite network encrypted using encoding from the second satellite network; and
a processor, adapted to process the control word in accordance with the conditional access to enable display of the demodulated bitstreams on an output device.
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Abstract
An apparatus and method for processing content signals received from a plurality of different, and possibly dissimilar, signal sources, such as different satellite networks, and providing a display based on the content of those signals. The apparatus includes a tuner/demodulator for receiving content signals and demodulating the received content signals as programming bitstreams, and one or more access control devices for descrambling any conditional access present in the demodulated programming bitstreams. The apparatus further includes a processor, such as a system chip, which is responsible for all command and control functions. The system chip evaluates conditional access to determine whether the bitstream needs decryption, descrambling, or both, and processes a bitstream from one of the multiple signal sources for display on a suitable output device.
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Citations
42 Claims
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1. An apparatus for processing content signals, comprising:
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at least one tuner/demodulator, adapted to receive content signals transmitted from a first satellite network broadcasting a first content signal and a second satellite network broadcasting a second content signal, and to demodulate the received content signals as bitstreams; at least one access control device for supporting at least one conditional access system of said first and second satellite sources that is associated with the received and demodulated bitstreams, wherein the first content signal transmitted from the first satellite network comprises a control word for the first satellite network encrypted using encoding from the second satellite network; and a processor, adapted to process the control word in accordance with the conditional access to enable display of the demodulated bitstreams on an output device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A satellite-based distribution system, comprising:
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a first satellite network broadcasting a first content signal for transmitting first programming and a second satellite network broadcasting a second content signal for transmitting second programming to corresponding subscribers; and an apparatus, adapted to process the first and second broadcast content signals, the apparatus including; at least one tuner/demodulator, adapted to receive said content signals and demodulating the received content signals as bitstreams; at least one access control device, adapted to supporting at least one conditional access system of said first and second satellite networks that is associated with the received and demodulated programming bitstreams, wherein the first content signal transmitted from the first satellite network comprises a control word for the first satellite network encrypted using encoding from the second satellite network; and a processor, adapted to process the control word in accordance with the conditional access to enable display of the demodulated bitstreams on an output device. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24)
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25. A method for processing content signals received in satellite-based distribution system, comprising:
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receiving at least a first content signal transmitted from a first satellite network, comprising first programming; receiving second content signal transmitted from a second satellite network, comprising second programming; demodulating the received first and second content signals as bitstreams, wherein the first content signal transmitted from the first satellite network comprises a control word for the first satellite network encrypted using encoding from the second satellite network; performing conditional access processing according to the control word on at least one of the received and demodulated programming bitstreams; and processing the demodulated and conditional access processed bitstreams for display. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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39. A method for operating a satellite-based distribution system, comprising:
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controlling a first satellite network to transmit first content signals comprising first programming to corresponding subscribers; controlling a second satellite network to transmit second content signals comprising second programming to the corresponding subscribers; and controlling a receiving apparatus to perform the following operations; receiving the first and second content signals transmitted from the first and second satellite networks; demodulating the received content signals as bitstreams;
wherein the first content signals transmitted from the first satellite network comprise a control word for the first satellite network encrypted using encoding from the second satellite network;removing any conditional access encoding of the second satellite network present in the received and demodulated programming bitstreams of the first content signals received from the first satellite network; and processing the demodulated bitstreams for display. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41)
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42. A direct-broadcast satellite system, comprising:
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a first satellite network to broadcast a first content signal comprising first programming encrypted using a first control word to a plurality of subscribers; a second satellite network to broadcast a second content signal comprising second programming encrypted using a second control word to the plurality of subscribers, wherein the second programming may at least partially overlap the first programming; a subscription management system to determine subscription information for the plurality of subscribers, to generate a the second control word, to generate an entitlement control message based on the second control word for broadcast in the first content signal, and to transmit the first content signal including the entitlement control message via the first satellite network; and an apparatus, adapted to process the transmitted content signals, the apparatus including; at least one tuner/demodulator, adapted to receive the first and second content signals and demodulating the received content signals as bitstreams; at least one access control device, adapted to supporting at least one conditional access system of the first and second satellite networks that is associated with the received and demodulated programming bitstreams, and to decrypt the first content signal using the entitlement control message and the second control word; and a processor, adapted to process the demodulated bitstreams for display on a suitable output device in accordance with the conditional access.
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Specification