PROCESSING RECORDABLE CONTENT IN A STREAM

• US 20110010545A1
• Filed: 07/07/2010
• Published: 01/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Irdeto B.V. (MultiChoice Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Irdeto Access B.V. (MultiChoice Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Wajs, Andrew Augustine, Kill, Graham
• Granted Patent: US 8,595,854 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/168
• 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: H04N 21/4405 involving video stream decryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4408 involving video stream encryption, e.g. re-encrypting a decrypted video stream for redistribution in a home network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8355 involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed

Abstract

Methods and a systems are described for processing recordable content in a broadcast stream sent to a receiver, wherein said broadcast stream is protected in accordance with a conditional access system and wherein said receiver is configured for storing and consuming content in said broadcast stream in accordance with a digital rights management system. In this methods and systems recording information is sent in one or more entitlement control messages over a broadcast network to a receiver. Using the recording information in the entitlement control messages the receiver is able to store recordable events in a broadcast stream on a storage medium and to consume said recorded events in accordance with a digital rights management system.

Claims

1. A method of transforming recordable content protected in accordance with a conditional access system into content protected in accordance with a digital rights management system, the method comprising:

receiving a content stream and one or more entitlement control messages associated with said content stream, at least one of said entitlement control messages comprising at least one first key for decrypting data in said content stream and recording information indicating one or more events in said content stream to be recordable;

selecting at least one recordable event;

decrypting data packets associated with said selected event using said first key;

providing a DRM key associated with said digital rights management system; and

encrypting at least part of said data packets under said DRM key.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said one or more entitlement control messages further comprise at least one content identifier for identifying content in said recordable event and/or second key information associated with said digital rights management system, said second key information comprising a second key enabling said receiver to generate said DRM key, and, optionally, recording subscription information for checking entitlement to store at least one of said recordable events.

3. The method according to claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving location information for locating a digital rights management server associated with said digital rights management system.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said second key information further comprises a key reference used by said conditional access system to retrieve said second key from a database associated with the conditional access system enabling the said conditional access system to generate said DRM key for said receiver if said receiver requests decryption of said encrypted recordable event.

5. The method according to claim 1, the method further comprising:

storing said data packets encrypted in accordance with said digital rights management system and said associated recording information on a storage medium, preferably in a media file associated with said digital rights management system.

15. A computer program product comprising software code portions configured for, when run in the memory of a computer, executing the method according to claim 1.

6. A method of decrypting of at least part of a recorded event associated with a content stream originating from a conditional access system, said stored event being protected in accordance with a digital rights management system, wherein said digital rights management system comprises an interface with said conditional access system and wherein said conditional access system is configured for generating a DRM key for decrypting said stored event, the method comprising:

selecting at least one event stored on a storage medium;

providing recording information associated with said selected event, said recording information comprising at least one content identifier for identifying said stored event and a key reference for enabling said conditional access system to generate at least one DRM key;

providing location information associated with at least one server in said digital rights management system;

sending said recording information via said server to said conditional access system;

receiving at least one DRM key generated by said conditional access system; and

decrypting said stored event for consumption using said DRM key.

7. A receiver system for receiving recordable content in a content stream protected in accordance with a conditional access system and for transforming said content into content protected in accordance with a digital rights management system, said content encryption system comprising:

an input for receiving said content stream and one or more associated entitlement control messages, at least one of said entitlement control messages comprising a first key and recording information;

a recording detector for detecting a recording identifier in said recording information, said recording identifier indicating that one or more events in said broadcast stream are recordable;

a selector for selecting at least one of said recordable events identified by said recording detector.

a conditional access descrambler for decrypting at least one data packet in said broadcast stream using said first key;

a DRM key generator for generating a DRM key; and

a DRM scrambler for encrypting data packets associated with a selected recordable event under said DRM key.

8. The receiver system according to claim 7, wherein said recording information further comprises at least one content identifier for identifying content in said recordable events and/or second key information, said second key information comprising a second key enabling said DRM key generator to generate said DRM key.

9. The receiver system according to claim 7, wherein said receiver system comprises a conditional access agent configured for managing the decryption of said entitlement control messages and said content stream in accordance with said conditional access system, said conditional access agent further being configured to manage storage of said data packets encrypted by said DRM scrambler in a media file on a storage medium, said media file being stored in accordance with said digital rights management system.

10. The receiver system according to claim 9, wherein said conditional access agent is further configured for storing a content identifier and location information in said media file, said content identifier identifying the content in said media file and said location information for locating at least one server associated with said digital rights management system and/or wherein said conditional access agent is configured for enabling a user to select a stored event and in response to said selection to trigger the DRM agent to send a request for at least one DRM key and/or object right associated to said selected event to said server.

11. The receiver system according to claim 8, the system further comprising:

a DRM agent associated with said digital rights management system, said DRM agent being configured to receive and/or request at least one or more DRM keys and/or an object rights from at least one server associated with said digital rights management system; and

/or

a DRM descrambler associated with said digital rights management system, said DRM descrambler being configured to receive one or more DRM keys from said DRM agent and to descramble one or more stored events using said one or more DRM keys.

12. A digital rights management agent for use in a receiver system according to claim 7, said agent being configured to request at least one or more DRM keys and/or object rights from at least one server associated with said digital rights management system, said request comprising at least a receiver identifier, a content identifier and a location information for locating said server and said agent further being configured to receive at least one or more DRM keys generated by said conditional access system and/or one or more object rights issued by said server.

13. A conditional access agent for use in a receiver system according to claim 7, said agent being configured for selecting one or more recordable events in said content stream and in response to said selection to generate a DRM key using said second key information in said entitlement control messages sent by said conditional access system to said conditional access agent and forwarding said DRM key to a DRM scrambler for enabling said DRM scrambler to encrypt data packets in said selected one or more recordable events.

14. A data structure generated by a receiver system according to claim 7, said data structure comprising one or more data packets encrypted under a DRM key associated with a digital rights management system, said data structure further comprising location information and a key reference enabling a receiver accessing said data structure to locate a server in said digital rights management system and to request said conditional access system via said server to generate said DRM key, wherein the key reference refers to a second key in a database, said second key allowing said conditional access system to generate said DRM key.