MEDIA PLAYBACK DECODER TRACING

• US 20090288172A1
• Filed: 07/19/2007
• Published: 11/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Goodix Technology Co., Ltd. (Shenzhen Goodix Technology Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Gentric, Philippe
• Granted Patent: US 8,826,442 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2107 File encryption
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 705/908 Software or content usage protection

Abstract

A method of identifying a traced media playback decoder embedded in a device, wherein data representative of a trace message is included in the content field of a media content file and a trigger string (16) is included in the user data field of the file. The file is input to the decoder, and a traced decoder is arranged and configured to render the trace message in a desired format in response to detection of the trigger string. If the decoder is not the traced decoder, the trigger string will be disregarded and the component will try and process the media content file like a normal media content file, which results in an error.

Claims

1. A decoder for decoding received media content, for playback in a predetermined media format, said media content having a data format comprising a user data field and a content field, wherein data representative of a trace message is included in said content field of the media content, said decoder further comprising means for rendering in said predetermined media format said trace message represented by said data included in said received media content.

2. A decoder according to claim 1, wherein the data representative of said trace message comprises a representation in said predetermined media format of the trace message.

3. A decoder according to claim 2, wherein said representation comprises said trace message, partially or fully encrypted by a predetermined encryption mechanism, wherein said decoder comprises means for decrypting and rendering in said predetermined media format said encrypted trace message included in said received media content.

4. A decoder according to claim 3, wherein trace message is encrypted using a product key unique to said traced decoder.

5. A decoder according to claim 1, wherein the data representative of said trace message comprises a font file included in the content field of said media content, wherein said decoder includes a character generator for generating said trace message using said font file.

6. A decoder according to claim 1, wherein a trigger signal is included in the user data field of said content file, for causing said decoder to render in said predetermined media format said trace message from said representative data included in said received media content.

7. A decoder according to claim 6, wherein said trigger signal comprises a trigger string inserted in the user data field of the media content file.

8. A decoder according to claim 2, wherein said media content file is compressed, either before or after encryption of said data representative of said trace message.

9. A method for identifying a traced media playback decoder, the decoder being arranged for decoding received media content for playback in a predetermined media format, the method comprising including in said traced decoder means for rendering in said predetermined media format a trace message from representative data included in received media content, inputting a media content file into a media playback decoder, said media content having a data format comprising a user data field and a content field and including in said data field data representative of a trace message, wherein said media playback decoder is identified as a traced media playback decoder only if said trace message is correctly rendered in said predetermined media format during playback of said media content file.

10. A media content file for use in a method according to claim 9, said media content file having a data format comprising a user data field and a content field, wherein data representative of a trace message is included in said content field.

11. A media content file according to claim 10 further comprising a trigger signal included in the user data field of said content file, for causing said decoder to render in said predetermined media format said trace message from said representative data included in said received media content.

12. A media playback device including a decoder for decoding received media content for playback in a predetermined media format, said media content having a data format comprising a user data field and a content field, wherein data representative of a trace message is included in said content field of the media content, said decoder further comprising means for rendering in said predetermined media format said trace message represented by said data included in said received media content.

13. (canceled)