Portable Media Player Licensing and Content Playback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current satellite television systems require physical movement of set-top boxes to play recorded content on different TVs, making it inconvenient, and there is a need to securely play back satellite television video and audio files on portable media players while protecting content owners' rights.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that allows portable media players to playback files from a storage device like a digital video recorder, by coupling the device to a set-top box, storing files and license expiration times, and updating licenses to ensure secure access and maintain content ownership rights.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If content is stored on portable media players, then convenience of playback is improved, but unauthorized use and loss of licensing rights occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by storing license information and expiration times on the portable device before content playback. The licensing system proactively manages rights by pre-establishing authorization parameters and monitoring expiration dates, enabling secure playback without requiring continuous verification during use.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the portable device communicates license status to the licensing system, which then provides authorization decisions. The system monitors license expiration times and provides feedback about authorized content status, enabling dynamic control of playback rights based on current authorization state.
2Ease of operation
If set top box is made portable, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments functionality by separating content storage on the portable device from the set top box, with the portable device acting as an independent playback unit. This segmentation allows the portable device to function autonomously for playback while the set top box maintains centralized licensing and content management, reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The portable device is designed with multi-functionality, serving both as a content playback device and as a licensing verification node. The device can store content, manage its own playback, and communicate with the licensing system, eliminating the need for separate dedicated components and reducing overall system complexity.
3Reliability
If license expiration time is stored on portable device, then licensing control is improved, but device storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the essential license information (expiration times and authorization parameters) from the complete content data, storing these minimal licensing parameters on the portable device. This extraction approach maintains effective licensing control while minimizing the storage footprint on the portable device.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies local quality by storing different types of information at different locations: complete content data remains on the set top box or server, while only essential licensing parameters are stored locally on the portable device. This differentiated storage strategy optimizes both licensing control and storage efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system for storing a file on a portable device 36 includes a display 30, a digital video recorder 32, a first control device 80 and a controller 200 coupled to the digital video recorder. The controller generates a screen display having a selector for selecting a file to transfer. Upon selecting a file to transfer, storing the file on the portable device 36 and storing license information in a memory 210 of the portable storage device.