Cloud Manifest Processing for Set-Top Box DRM Simplification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current content distribution systems, such as cable television, require complex customer premises equipment (CPE) and provider equipment (PE) interactions for tasks like channel changing, digital rights management, and Quality of Service management, leading to inefficiencies and resource misallocation.
Innovation Solution
Implementing provider equipment-based resources, such as cloud or data center resources, to perform set-top box functions entirely at the head end, including secure content delivery and user interaction handling, using a stream server, manifest creation and manipulation module, and interaction module to manage video stream decryption and user interactions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If complex customer premises equipment (CPE) and provider equipment (PE) interactions are used for content delivery, then digital rights management and Quality of Service control are achieved, but device complexity and resource requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts DRM licensing and manifest processing functions from the customer premises equipment and relocates them to the head end. The CPE only needs to transmit clickstream data and receive video streams, while the head end handles license key retrieval, manifest adaptation, and coordinate generation, significantly simplifying the CPE device complexity while maintaining security.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary manifest processing system at the head end that acts as a mediator between the content delivery system and the CPE. This intermediary handles the complex DRM coordination by adapting manifests based on clickstream data and generating coordinates for video stream portions, eliminating the need for complex direct interactions between CPE and PE systems.
2Reliability
If complex coordination between CPE and PE system components is implemented for channel changing and content delivery, then content security is maintained, but system response time and user interaction efficiency decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by having the head end proactively push adapted manifests and coordinate information to the CPE based on clickstream data before the user actually requests content. The system pre-processes manifest adaptations and prepares video stream portion coordinates in advance, eliminating the need for time-consuming real-time coordination when channel changes occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables the CPE to self-service by providing it with the necessary tools (manifests, coordinates, license keys) to independently retrieve and play video content without requiring complex real-time coordination with the head end. The CPE uses the provided coordinates to directly access video stream portions, significantly reducing channel changing time while maintaining security through pre-established licensing.
3Productivity
If set-top box functions are distributed to client devices, then device capabilities are utilized, but resource allocation inefficiency and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements universality by designing a standardized manifest processing architecture at the head end that serves multiple CPE devices with different capabilities. The head end adapts manifests universally to work with various device types, providing a unified interface for content delivery while handling device-specific requirements centrally, thus simplifying the overall system architecture while maintaining productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, architectures, mechanisms or apparatus for using provider equipment based resources such as cloud or data center resources to implement various STB functions entirely at the head end, such as changing channels presented via the STB using PE actions only.