Multimedia Stream Service Date Extraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current multimedia content protection systems face challenges in ensuring secure access to protected content, particularly due to the reliance on unsecured local clocks and date servers, which can lead to significant computation and network traffic loads, compromising security and quality of service.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating the transmission date of multimedia content segments within the stream, allowing terminals to use this date as a service date controlled by the operator, reducing the load on date servers and network traffic without compromising security, and providing an alternative to local clocks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If terminals use unsecured local clocks to determine service date, then ease of operation is improved, but security deteriorates because the service date can be easily modified
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism where the service date is not determined directly by the terminal's local clock, but rather through a controlled transmission process. The headend embeds the service date within the multimedia content stream, and the terminal extracts this date from the received content. This intermediary approach maintains ease of operation while improving security, as the service date is now controlled by the headend rather than being freely modifiable by the terminal.
2Measurement precision
If terminals frequently connect to date servers to obtain service dates, then measurement precision is improved, but network traffic load increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the service date information from the headend and embeds it directly within the multimedia content stream. Terminals no longer need to separately connect to date servers to obtain this information, as it is already included in the content they are receiving. This extraction approach maintains measurement precision while significantly reducing network traffic, as the service date is obtained as a byproduct of content reception rather than through separate server connections.
3Reliability
If the service date is obtained from external date servers, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional server infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the service date provisioning function with the existing multimedia content delivery system. Instead of maintaining separate date server infrastructure, the service date is combined with the multimedia content stream and delivered through the same channel. This merging approach maintains reliability by ensuring the service date is authoritatively controlled by the headend, while reducing device complexity by eliminating the need for separate date server infrastructure.
4Productivity
If transmission date is embedded in each segment, then productivity is improved by reducing server load, but device complexity increases at the terminal for date extraction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-service mechanism where the terminal automatically extracts the service date from the received multimedia content without requiring complex external coordination. The terminal is equipped with functionality to parse the content stream and retrieve the embedded service date, making the system self-sufficient. This self-service approach improves productivity by reducing server load while managing terminal complexity through automated extraction processes.
Data Source
AI summary
A Method for supplying protected multimedia content during which a terminal a) acquires a service date from a date server and b) evaluates a temporal criterion of a licence with respect to the last acquired service date. A headend associates with each segment of the multimedia content, its transmission date, and transmits it in a stream together with the segment. The terminal extracts from the stream the date of transmission of the segment, then it compares the extracted transmission date to the last acquired service date. And, only if the extracted transmission date is later than the last acquired service date, acquires it as service date, and uses it as last acquired service date on an execution of the step b) between two successive executions of the step a).