Descrambling of multiple television channels

• US 8,959,544 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2013
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Kummer, David, Schaefer, Germar
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): ANDRAMUNO, FRANKLIN S
• Application Number:
  US13/757,168
• Publication Number:
  US 20130247089A1
• Time in Patent Office: 746 Days
• Field of Search: 725/31, 725/131, 725/135
• US Class Current: 725/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/14 Arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26606 for generating or managing entitlement messages, e.g. Entitlement Control Message [ECM] or Entitlement Management Message [EMM] arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services H04H60/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4405 involving video stream decryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4508 Management of client data or end-user data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4623 Processing of entitlement messages, e.g. ECM [Entitlement Control Message] or EMM [Entitlement Management Message] arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services H04H60/14

Abstract

Various arrangements for descrambling multiple television channels concurrently are presented. A set-top box may receive a first plurality of television channels as scrambled data packets. A previously-received locally-stored networking information table may be accessed that associates each of the multiple television channels with the same entitlement control message, as indicated by a packet identifier. An entitlement control message having the same packet identifier may be received. A smartcard may be used to decrypt the entitlement control message having the same packet identifier to obtain a first control word and a second control word. Scrambled data packets corresponding to the multiple television channels may be descrambled using the first control word and the second control word. These television channels may be stored and/or output for presentation by the set-top box.

Claims

1. A television receiver, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory communicatively coupled with and readable by the one or more processors and having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive a first plurality of television channels as scrambled data packets;

access a network information table stored locally, wherein;

the network information table comprises an entry for each television channel of a second plurality of television channels;

each entry for each television channel of the second plurality of television channels indicates at least;

a first packet identifier for video packets corresponding to the television channel,

a second packet identifier for audio packets corresponding to the television channel, and

a third packet identifier for entitlement control message packets corresponding to the television channel; and

the second plurality of television channels comprises the first plurality of television channels;

receive a first entitlement control message;

decrypt the first entitlement control message to obtain a first control word and a second control word;

receive a second entitlement control message;

determine the second entitlement control message matches the first entitlement control message;

based on determining the second entitlement control message matches the first entitlement control message, ignoring the second entitlement control message such that decryption of the second entitlement control message does not occur;

descramble the scrambled data packets corresponding to the first plurality of television channels using the first control word and the second control word decrypted from the first entitlement control message; and

store and/or output for presentation video and audio of each television channel of the first plurality of television channels.

2. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein the processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

receive data to update the network information table, wherein the data modifies at least one of the first packet identifier, the second packet identifier, and the third packet identifier corresponding to at least one television channel of the second plurality of television channels.

3. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein the television receiver receives the scrambled data packets and the first entitlement control message via a satellite.

4. The television receiver of claim 3, wherein the scrambled data packets for each television channel of the first plurality of television channels, the first entitlement control message, and the second entitlement control message are received by the television receiver from a single transponder of the satellite using a single tuner.

5. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein the processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

receive additional entitlement control messages; and

determine if each of the additional entitlement control messages match the first entitlement control message.

6. The television receiver of claim 5, wherein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

ignore each additional entitlement control message that matches the first entitlement control message such that decryption of the additional entitlement control message does not occur.

7. A method for descrambling multiple television channels, the method comprising:

receiving, by a television receiver, a first plurality of television channels as scrambled data packets;

accessing, by the television receiver, a locally-stored network information table, wherein;

the network information table comprises an entry for each television channel of a second plurality of television channels;

each entry for each television channel of the second plurality of television channels indicates at least;

a first packet identifier for video packets corresponding to the television channel,

a second packet identifier for audio packets corresponding to the television channel, and

a third packet identifier for entitlement control message packets corresponding to the television channel; and

the second plurality of television channels comprises the first plurality of television channels;

receiving, by the television receiver, a first entitlement control message;

decrypting, by a smartcard of the television receiver, the first entitlement control message to obtain a first control word and a second control word;

receiving, by the television receiver, a second entitlement control message for a second television channel of the first plurality of television channels;

determining, by the television receiver, the second entitlement control message for the second television channel matches the first entitlement control message for the first television channel;

based on determining the second entitlement control message for the second television channel matches the first entitlement control message for the first television channel, ignoring, by the television receiver, the second entitlement control message such that decryption of the second entitlement control message does not occur;

descrambling, by the television receiver, the scrambled data packets corresponding to the first plurality of television channels using the first control word and the second control word decrypted from the first entitlement control message; and

storing and/or outputting for presentation, by the television receiver, video and audio of each television channel of the first plurality of television channels.

8. The method for descrambling multiple television channels of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, by the television receiver, data to update the locally-stored network information table, wherein the data is used to modify at least one of the first packet identifier, the second packet identifier, and the third packet identifier corresponding to at least one television channel of the second plurality of television channels.

9. The method for descrambling multiple television channels of claim 7, wherein the television receiver receives the scrambled data packets and the first entitlement control message via a satellite.

10. The method for descrambling multiple television channels of claim 9, the scrambled data packets for each television channel of the first plurality of television channels and the first entitlement control message are received by the television receiver from a single transponder of the satellite using a single tuner.

11. The method for descrambling multiple television channels of claim 7, further comprising:

periodically receiving, by the television receiver, additional entitlement control messages; and

determining, at the television receiver, if each of the additional entitlement control messages match the first entitlement control message.

12. The method for descrambling multiple television channels of claim 11, further comprising:

ignoring, by the television receiver, each additional entitlement control message that matches the first entitlement control message such that decryption of the additional entitlement control message does not occur.

13. The method for descrambling multiple television channels of claim 7, further comprising:

scrambling, by a television service provider, each television channel of the first plurality of television channels using the first control word and the second control word.

14. The method for descrambling multiple television channels of claim 13, further comprising:

providing, by the television service provider, the first control word and the second control word to a security system;

receiving, from the security system by the television service provider, the first entitlement control message corresponding to the first control word and the second control word; and

transmitting the first entitlement control message to the television receiver.

15. An apparatus for descrambling multiple television channels, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a first plurality of television channels as scrambled data packets;

means for accessing a locally-stored network information table, wherein;

the network information table comprises an entry for each television channel of a second plurality of television channels;

each entry for each television channel of the second plurality of television channels indicates at least;

a first packet identifier for video packets corresponding to the television channel,

a second packet identifier for audio packets corresponding to the television channel, and

a third packet identifier for entitlement control message packets corresponding to the television channel; and

the second plurality of television channels comprises the first plurality of television channels;

means for receiving a first entitlement control message;

means for decrypting the first entitlement control message for a first television channel of the first plurality of television channels to obtain a first control word and a second control word;

means for receiving a second entitlement control message for a second television channel of the first plurality of television channels;

means for determining the second entitlement control message for the second television channel matches the first entitlement control message for the first television channel;

means for ignoring the second entitlement control message such that decryption of the second entitlement control message does not occur based on determining the second entitlement control message for the second television channel matches the first entitlement control message for the first television channel;

means for descrambling the scrambled data packets corresponding to the first plurality of television channels using the first control word and the second control word decrypted from the first entitlement control message; and

means for storing video and audio of each television channel of the first plurality of television channels.

16. The apparatus for descrambling multiple television channels of claim 15, further comprising:

means for receiving data to update the locally-stored network information table, wherein the update modifies at least one of the first packet identifier, the second packet identifier, and the third packet identifier corresponding to at least one television channel of the second plurality of television channels.

17. The apparatus for descrambling multiple television channels of claim 15, wherein the apparatus receives the scrambled data packets, the first entitlement control message, and the second entitlement control message via a satellite.

18. The apparatus for descrambling multiple television channels of claim 17, the scrambled data packets for each television channel of the first plurality of television channels and the first entitlement control message are received by the apparatus from a single transponder of the satellite using a single tuner.

19. A method for descrambling multiple television channels, the method comprising:

receiving, by a television receiver, a first plurality of television channels as scrambled data packets;

receiving, by the television receiver, a first entitlement control message for a first television channel of the first plurality of television channels;

decrypting, by a smartcard of the television receiver, the first entitlement control message to obtain a first control word and a second control word;

receiving, by the television receiver, a second entitlement control message for a second television channel of the first plurality of television channels;

determining, by the television receiver, the second entitlement control message for the second television channel matches the first entitlement control message for the first television channel;

based on determining the second entitlement control message for the second television channel matches the first entitlement control message for the first television channel, ignoring, by the television receiver, the second entitlement control message such that decryption of the second entitlement control message does not occur;

descrambling, by the television receiver, the scrambled data packets corresponding to the first plurality of television channels using the first control word and the second control word decrypted from the first entitlement control message; and

storing, by the television receiver, video and audio of each television channel of the first plurality of television channels.

20. A method for descrambling multiple television channels of claim 19, wherein the television receiver receives the scrambled data packets, the first entitlement control message, and the second entitlement control message via a satellite.