HK1109986B - Method and apparatus for secure transfer and playback of multimedia content - Google Patents

Abstract

A method and apparatus for secure transfer and playback of multimedia content enables the secure transfer of multimedia content from a digital video recorder (DVR) to a personal computer (PC) and further to a handheld device. A DVR determines which devices on a Local Area Network (LAN) are authorized to share and/or retrieve content from the DVR. The DVR receives a connection request from a PC on the LAN, authorizes the connection request and establishes a secure connection between the DVR and the PC. Once the secure connection is established, the DVR receives a request for multimedia content from the PC, prepares the multimedia content for transfer and transfers the multimedia content to the PC.

Description

Method and apparatus for secure transmission and playback of multimedia content

Technical Field

The present invention relates to secure transmission of multimedia content between devices in a computer network and secure playback of the multimedia content in the devices.

Background

The approaches described in this section are approaches that could be pursued, but are not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Accordingly, unless otherwise indicated, the approaches described in this section may not be prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.

A TV viewer may record a broadcasted TV program using a Video Cassette Recorder (VCR). Thus, a VCR user can record a particular TV program at the same time it is broadcast and broadcast that same recorded TV program at a later time. To fulfill this requirement, a VCR changes the electrical signals representing the TV program into magnetic signals and stores the magnetic signals on a magnetic tape. The tape is typically a video tape that is inserted into a VCR by a user. When a VCR user wants to play back a TV program, the process is reversed and the VCR changes the magnetic signal stored on the video tape to an electrical signal and sends the electrical signal to the television.

With the development of digital technology, VCRs are being replaced by Digital Video Recorders (DVRs). Like a VCR, a DVR records a broadcasted TV program for later playback by changing the electrical signals of the TV program into digital information and storing the digital information in a memory device. When a user plays back a recorded TV program, the DVR converts the digital information into an analog signal and transmits the signal to the television set that displays the TV program to the viewer.

DVRs have become increasingly popular and widely used for recording broadcasted TV programs. While it is convenient to record and control playback of recorded TV programs, DVR users must watch recorded TV programs on a television set connected to the particular DVR that recorded the program. In other words, the DVR user cannot watch a recorded TV program away from the DVR that recorded the program. Thus, a typical drawback of DVRs is the inability to view recorded TV programs at multiple locations. However, the DVR user may wish to view a recorded TV program remotely from the DVR that recorded the TV program.

Meanwhile, a content server providing TV programs is concerned with protecting and monitoring copyrighted program material. Thus, the content server does not want DVR users to freely transmit TV programs to unauthorized devices or distribute recorded TV programs to other unauthorized DVR users.

It is preferable to establish a secure communication system through which a user can transmit recorded TV programs and other multimedia content from a DVR to a Personal Computer (PC). In addition, the system will provide the user with the ability to transfer recorded programs from the PC to other devices in a secure manner, i.e., protecting the copyrights of the program material provider.

Drawings

The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements throughout the views.

FIG. 1A is a block diagram of a communication system for providing secure transmission and playback of multimedia content in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of the components of a Digital Video Recorder (DVR), according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a method for establishing a secure connection between a DVR and a PC for secure transmission and playback of multimedia content, according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3A is a flow diagram of a method for securely transferring multimedia content between a DVR and a PC, according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3B is a block diagram of a user interface for securely transferring multimedia content between a DVR and a PC, according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an MPEG (moving Picture experts group) program stream according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a user interface for downloading multimedia content from a content server for display to a user according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a process for converting an internal PES representation of multimedia content to an MPEG program stream in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a system in which embodiments of the invention may be implemented.

Detailed Description

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for secure transmission and playback of multimedia content. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific embodiments are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention. It may be evident, however, that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present invention.

Embodiments are described herein according to the following schema:

1.0 general description

2.0 structural description

3.0 method for providing secure transmission and playback of multimedia content

3.1 establishing a secure connection between DVR and PC

3.2 transferring multimedia content between DVR and PC

3.3 internal PES to MPEG conversion

4.0 implementation device-hardware overview

5.0 extensions and alternative embodiments

1.0 general description

The needs identified in the foregoing background, and other needs and objects that will become apparent for the following description, are achieved in the present invention, which comprises, in one aspect, a method for providing secure transmission and playback of multimedia content. A method is provided for a DVR user to securely transfer content from the DVR to a PC and further to a portable device. DVRs have the ability to identify PCs and other DVRs in a Local Area Network (LAN) by performing discovery operations. During the discovery process, the DVR may determine which devices on the LAN are authorized to share and/or obtain content from the DVR. In a PC on a LAN, a media application is used to communicate with the DVR and to initiate the transfer of content from the DVR to the PC. When the media application device is on a PC, it requests information from the user to identify a particular DVR. In one embodiment, this information may be in the form of a media access key associated with the DVR. When the user provides the media access key to the media application, the program finds the relevant DVR on the LAN and sends a connection request to the DVR.

When the DVR receives a connection request, it authenticates the request by, for example, comparing the provided media access key to the DVR's media access key. If the media access keys match, the DVR establishes a secure connection with the PC, which may be accomplished by encrypting all messages between the DVR and the PC using a variety of encryption methods, such as public key encryption or turing's encryption algorithm. In addition, the DVR may utilize a hashing algorithm, such as message digest-5 (MD5) or secure Hash Algorithm-1 (SHA-1), to mark all messages between the DVR and the PC. Thus, when the PC receives a message from the DVR, it employs the appropriate encryption key to decrypt the message to its original form.

Once the PC and DVR have established a secure connection, secure transfer of multimedia content between the devices is enabled. To this end, the media application located on the PC forms a user interface for requesting and viewing a list of content located on the DVR and selecting an image to transfer the content. Thus, with the media application, a user may request a list of content from the DVR. Upon receiving the request, the DVR generates a list of content and sends the list to the PC, which displays the available content to the user via the media application. The user then selects which content to transfer from the DVR to the PC. The user may select any content that may be stored on the DVR, including, but not limited to: recorded TV programs, music files, movies, images, or content downloaded by a DVR from a content server using a broadband connection.

When the DVR receives a request to transfer content, it locates the content and begins the step of preparing to transfer the content to the PC by converting the content's internal format into a digital data stream. In this case, the DVR may append additional data, such as content and authentication data, to the digital data stream. In one embodiment, the DVR may further encrypt the digital data stream for secure transmission to the PC using, for example, a turing encryption algorithm. In addition, the DVR may tag the digital data stream with a secure hash algorithm-1 (SHA-1) of the DVR's MAC address to generate a SHA-1 encryption key. Next, the DVR sends the digital data stream to the PC, which decrypts and stores the digital data stream on storage. While the DVR sends the program stream to the PC, the media application allows the user to track the transfer process by displaying transfer status information. In addition, once the PC receives the digital data stream, the PC may convert and transmit the digital data stream to the portable device.

In another embodiment, the PC may automatically obtain content from the DVR by having a scheduled transmission of the user from the DVR to the PC without user involvement. In addition, the user can synchronize any content he receives with the portable device. The user may customize the acquisition of content through a service provider website accessed via a PC or portable device. In addition, broadband applications of the system are possible. In such an application of the system, the content server allows the DVR to select content to be transmitted and viewed on the DVR over a broadband network, such as the internet.

In other aspects, the invention includes a computer device and a computer-readable medium designed to perform the foregoing steps.

2.0 structural description

Referring to FIG. 1A, a communication system for sharing content between a DVR and a PC is shown, according to one embodiment. The communication system includes DVRs 102A, 102B, and 104. DVRs 102B and 104 are communicatively coupled to Local Area Network (LAN)105 via any suitable communication interface, such as an Ethernet (Ethernet) or wireless communication port. PC101 may be a personal computer device such as a desktop or laptop computer and is connected to LAN105 through any suitable interface. The portable device 101A may be communicatively connected to a PC or LAN 105. In one embodiment, the portable device 101A may be a portable computer device, a mobile phone, a portable media player, etc. for playing multimedia content. Through LAN105 and Internet 107, DVRs 102 and 102B may communicate with service provider 106A and content server 106B.

Content server 106B provides multimedia content to the DVR over a network connection. For example, DVR102 may download content from content provider 106B for playback on a connected television or for transfer to PC101 using the methods described herein.

In this embodiment, the PC101, DVRs 102A and 102B, and portable device 101A are all authorized shared devices on the home network 190. The PC110 and DVR104 are unauthorized shared devices connected to the LAN 105.

In one embodiment, DVR102A, which is loaded on home network 190, communicates with service provider 106A that provides program guide data, image resources (such as fonts, pictures, etc.), service information, software programs, advertisements, and other forms of data that enable DVR102A to operate independently of service provider 106 to meet the needs of a viewer. Communication between DVR102A and service provider 106 utilizes a secure distribution architecture to transport data between DVR102A and service provider 106A so that both service data and user privacy are protected. The functionality of a DVR is described in U.S. patent No.6,233,389, owned by the applicant and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Referring to fig. 1B, in an embodiment, DVR102 generally includes a number of components, represented by signal converter 154, where signal converter 154 is necessary to digitize the analog television signal and convert it to or receive the digital data stream. DVR102A receives a playback signal via input 152A from an antenna, a cable television system, a satellite receiver, or the like. Input 152A may include multiple tuning modules that allow multiple signals to be received and recorded simultaneously.

Recording module 160 records the incoming data stream by storing the digital data stream on at least one storage device represented by memory 164 designed to hold segmented digital data streams. Signal converter 154 takes the segmented data stream, converts the data stream to an analog signal, and then modulates the signal onto a Radio Frequency (RF) carrier via output 152B, which is delivered to a conventional television set via output 152B. Output 152B may optionally convey the digital signal to a television or video monitor. For example, DVR101 may utilize a port for a Digital Visual Interface (DVI) that sends digital signals to a TV via DVI lines.

DVR102A also includes a communication interface 162 through which DVR102A communicates with network 105 via ethernet, wireless network, modem, or other communication standard. In addition, DVR102A may be integrated into a television system such that the components described above are loaded into a television set that is capable of performing the functions of the components of DVR 102A.

In another embodiment, DVR102A generally comprises a plurality of components necessary for receiving, recording, storing, transmitting, and playing back digital data signals from a plurality of sources, such as a PC, a DVR, a service provider, or a content server. DVR102A may be capable of transmitting digital data signals to another DVR or PC. DVR102A may encode or decode data signals into a variety of formats for playback, storage, or transmission via encoder 156A and decoder 156B. DVR102A may also encrypt or decrypt digital data signals using encryptor/decryptor 158 for storage, transmission, or playback of the digital data signals.

DVR102A may connect directly with service provider 106A or content server 106B using an internal telephone modem represented by communication interface 162 to dial into the set of incoming telephone modems of service provider 106A. Alternatively, DVR102A may be indirectly connected with service provider 106A or content server 106B through communication interface 162 via a Local Area Network (LAN)105, which in turn is connected with service provider 106A and content server 106B through Internet 107. The LAN105 may be connected to the internet 107 using a cable modem or router so that a plurality of devices located on the LAN105 can be connected to the internet 107.

DVR102A initiates a connection with LAN105 through a connection with a LAN router to obtain the local IP address of home network 190. The DVR may also initiate a connection to the internet 107 by calling a local access telephone number of an Internet Service Provider (ISP) using an internal modem and telephone line. The ISP transmits the network connection request to the service provider 106 for authentication. Once authenticated, the network connection is authorized and DVR102A is allowed access to service provider 106A.

On the user's PC101, the media application is specifically encoded to communicate with one or more DVRs and is used to encrypt and decrypt multimedia content. The media application provides a user interface for viewing content on each shared DVR and selecting to retrieve the content. In addition, the media application may provide a graphical user interface for establishing a network on the LAN105 that shares PCs and DVRs.

3.0 method for providing secure transmission and playback of multimedia content

3.1 establishing a secure connection between DVR and PC

Each DVR1012A, 102B goes through a discovery phase to find and establish a secure connection with other devices on the LAN. Discovery may be performed using any suitable discovery protocol (e.g., apple computer, Rendezvous), and the discovery steps may be set to run automatically at specified intervals or at user request. During discovery, DVR102A looks for neighboring DVRs 102B, 104 and PCs 101, 110 on LAN105 and identifies one or more devices as authorized shared devices. For example, DVR102A may identify DVR102B as an authorized shared device and may also identify DVR104 as an unauthorized device. Thus, any request attempted by DVR104 will be denied. To determine which device connected to LAN105 is the authorized sharing device, DVR102 may consult a digital sharing certificate provided by service provider 106A.

To provide DVR102A with digital sharing authentication, a user logs into service provider 106A website to create a device record that wants to be considered an authorized shared device. Using any suitable user interface, the user enters the serial number or MAC address of the device he wants to include, and the service provider 106 may confirm through its database or using the user's previously entered location information. Thereafter, service provider 106A creates a digital sharing certificate that identifies the user as authorizing the sharing device. The certificate may contain the serial number, MAC address and corresponding public key of each device. Alternatively, the authentication may contain any other proprietary information for identifying the DVR or PC.

The digital sharing certificate may inform the DVR that it may share its stored content with other DVRs listed in the digital sharing certificate and may also obtain content from those DVRs. Once the PC confirms that it knows the DVR's private information, e.g., its media access key or MAC address, it can also inform the DVR that the DVR can share its stored content with the PC. Depending on the way service provider 106A configures the DVR, the DVR may pair itself with a single PC (to provide a more secure environment) or it may pair itself with multiple PCs.

Service provider 106A assigns the digital shared certificate to the DVRs listed in the digital shared certificate. DVRs typically receive digital sharing authentication when the DVRs perform regular contacts with service provider 106A for any updates or software updates to their electronic program guide. Service provider 106A may also facilitate digital sharing authentication to the DVR via Internet 107 if the DVR is connected to Internet 107.

In operation, if DVR104 requests from DVR102A a list of multimedia content stored on DVR102A, DVR102A checks its sharing credentials and finds that DVR104 is not listed as an authorized shared device. DVR102A then rejects DVR 104's request for multimedia content.

The user may indicate that a particular DVR, such as DVR102A, may share content on the local area network, either through the local area network or, in particular, through the user's PC 101. Thus, when DVR102A subsequently contacts service provider 106A, the service provider will send a message to DVR102A, enabling it to share content on LAN 105. DVR102A may accept connections from any device that specifies a media access key that matches the DVR's media access key.

On PC101, the media application is specifically encoded to communicate with any DVR102A, 102B, 104, and is used to encrypt and decrypt content. The media application provides a user interface for viewing content on each shared DVR102A, 102B and selecting content for retrieval. In addition, the media application may provide an interface for establishing a network that shares PCs and DVRs on the user's LAN. With this interface, the user can identify any PC or DVR located on the home network 109 and select a particular PC or DVR as an authorized shared device. Another function of the media application is to encode or transcode multimedia content for transmission to the portable device 101A.

When PC101 loads its media application, the program utilizes rendervous to perform discovery of, for example, nearby DVRs 102A, 102B, and 104 on LAN 105. During discovery, the PC may identify one or more authorized shared DVRs 102A and DVR 102B. In other embodiments of the invention, the user may provide the media application with information identifying a particular DVR as authorized to share DVRs on LAN 105. The identification information may be a media access key, a serial number, or any other unique identification of the DVR. Thus, when the PC performs discovery, the PC may search only for those DVRs designated as authorized to share DVRs 102A, 102B.

In other embodiments, when the PC101 loads the media application, the media application may request user information for authorizing the PC101 user. For example, when a user initializes a media application, the media application may request a user ID and password provided by the service provider 106A for access to the media application or originally set by the user. When the user enters his information, the media application compares the provided information with information maintained by the media application to determine whether the user is authorized to use the program.

Additionally, when a user attempts to pair a media application with DVR102A, the media application may request a media access key associated with DVR102A on LAN 105. In one embodiment, each of DVRs 102A, 102B, and 104 is associated with a unique media access code for accessing content stored on the DVR. The media access key may be obtained through a user interface of the DVR. In other implementations, the media access key for DVR102A may be provided to the user by service provider 106A. For example, the user accesses the service provider's 106A website and obtains the media access key for DVR102A by providing a username and password to service provider 106A.

Fig. 2 is a flow diagram of a process for establishing a secure connection between DVR102A and PC101, according to an embodiment. In step 202, the PC101 loads a media application. If it is determined that this is the first time the media application is loaded on PC101, the media application requests a media access key from the user using the display of PC101 to cause the media application to obtain a list of stored content from the DVR. Additionally, if it is determined that the user added a new DVR102B to his shared DVR list for a particular media application, the media application may request a media access key from the user.

At step 206, when the user provides the media access key to the media application, the media application locates DVR102A associated with the media access key provided on LAN 105. Once the selected DVR102A has been located, the media application causes PC101 to send a connection request to DVR 102A. The PC101 sends a connection request together with the provided media access key for confirmation. In other embodiments, PC101 may employ any other acceptable form of confirmation.

At step 203, prior to receiving the connection request, DVR102A will determine whether it is authorized to share content on LAN 105. For example, DVR102A may determine to authorize sharing of content on LAN105 after receiving an authorization notification in a digital sharing certificate, e.g., from service provider 106A. If DVR102A determines that content is not authorized to be shared on LAN105, DVR102A will deny all incoming connections.

Otherwise, at step 209, DVR102A authorizes sharing of its multimedia content and receives a connection request from PC 101. In one embodiment, the DVR receives a notification from service provider 106A that DVR102A may be paired with any PC that correctly represents the DVR's media access key. In another embodiment, the DVR may request additional parameters so that the DVR requires that PC101 also be located within the DVR's local area network.

Next, at step 211, DVR102A acknowledges the connection request by comparing the media access key provided by the PC with the DVR's own media access key. If the keys match, DVR102A may establish a secure connection by sending an acknowledgement to PC 101.

Additionally, to establish a secure connection, DVR102A may specify a common encryption key that is used to encrypt all messages between the DVR and the PC. Thus, when PC101 receives an acknowledgement from DVR102A, the PC will have the public encryption key of DVR102A and can send a secure message to DVR102A using that key. In addition, PC101 may also send its own public encryption key to DVR102A so that DVR102A may send a secure message to PC 101. Thus, a secure connection is established between DVR102A and PC 101. Alternatively, the secure connection may be established using any available encryption algorithm, for example, a turing encryption algorithm. In addition, a secure connection may be established using an encryption key system. In this system, the message may be tagged with an encryption key generated using the message digest 5(MD5) algorithm or the secure hash algorithm-1 (SHA-1) of the device MAC address. DVR102A or PC101 then decrypts the signed message to the original format using the generated encryption key.

Initially, a media application may be designed to pair with a DVR using a media access key associated with the DVR. In another embodiment, the media application may be designed to communicate with more than one DVR on LAN 105. The media application may provide the ability to enter multiple media access keys corresponding to multiple DVRs on the LAN 105. In this embodiment, the media application may allow PC101 to establish a secure connection with both DVR102A and DVR 102B.

Alternatively, after establishing a secure connection with one DVR, the media application may identify all shared DVRs on the user's LAN. For example, in one embodiment, when the PC establishes a secure connection with the first DVR, the first DVR provides the PC with shared authentication. The shared authentication may have been provided by service provider 106A or, alternatively, by another DVR. The shared certificate identifies all DVRs on the user's LAN that are authorized to share content and may contain a media access key for each DVR. In one embodiment, service provider 106A sends a share certificate to the PC after the user has selected authorization to share the DVR on service provider 106A's website. Thus, the service provider 106A establishes a shared authentication and transmits it to the PC101 through the internet 107. In another embodiment, the PC media application may obtain a shared authentication from the initially paired DVR 102A.

3.2 transferring multimedia content between DVR and PC

Once PC101 and DVR102A establish a connection, secure transfer of multimedia content between the devices is activated. Secure transfer of content from DVR102A to PC101 or from PC101 to DVR102A may be established.

Referring to FIG. 3, at step 302, once a connection has been established, a user utilizing a media application on PC101 may request that the content of DVR102A be displayed to the user. Alternatively, each time a media application is loaded on PC101, the media application may automatically generate a content request and send it to DVR 102A. Next, at step 303, when DVR102A receives the content request, it generates data that lists the multimedia content stored on DVR102A and sends to PC101 a package that includes metadata that contains a list of the content available on DVR 102A. When the media application receives the package, step 306, it displays the available content to the user via the user interface of step 308.

Referring to FIG. 3B, a user interface of a media application is shown, according to an embodiment. In program window 350, the media application displays to the user a list of content 358 that is stored on DVR 102A. The user may select a particular program from the list of content 358 using selection button 352, causing the media application to generate a request to transfer the selected program from DVR102A to PC 101. The media application, in turn, sends the request to the DVR to begin transmission.

Once the transfer has begun, the program window 350 allows the user to track the transfer process by displaying transfer status information 354. Transmission status information 354 may include the amount of multimedia content being transmitted and the time remaining to complete the transmission. With the content list 358, the user can select a specific multimedia content and view detailed information of the specific multimedia content in the information window 356. The information window 356 may contain multimedia content related information including the title, description, duration, and rate of the particular multimedia content. Additionally, information window 356 may contain control buttons 356A and 356B. For example, play button 356A allows the user to play selected multimedia content on user PC101 and stop transfer button 356B allows the user to stop the transfer of multimedia content from DVR102A to PC 101.

Returning to fig. 3A, at step 310A, using the media application, the user may select multimedia content from a list of available content 358 on DVR 102A. The requested multimedia content may be a full motion video program, audio content, picture content, or any other content that may be stored on DVR 102A. Media application then sends the request from PC101 to DVR102A at step 310B. At step 311, DVR102A receives the request and locates content that may be stored in DVR memory or other storage device accessible by DVR 102A. Once DVR102A has located the requested multimedia content, DVR102A begins the preparation process for transferring the content to PC 101.

In order for a PC to properly read and interpret multimedia content, DVR102A may convert its internal representation of multimedia content into a program stream (programstream) that is readable by a computer. In one embodiment, the internal representation of the multimedia content is in an internally Packetized Elementary Stream (PES) format that is not readable by the PC. The internal PES format is described in detail in U.S. patent No.6,233,389B1 owned by the applicant, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Additionally, one computer-readable program stream format is the Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) format, with MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 being typical commonly used formats. Alternatively, other digital formats may be employed.

Thus, at step 313, DVR102A converts the internal PES format of the requested multimedia content into an MPEG program stream. In other embodiments, DVR102A may convert the internal PES format into any format that is readable by PC 101. Alternatively, the conversion from the internal PES to the MPEG program stream may be performed in the PC. Thus, DVR102 sends its internal PES format, which includes additional data as further described, to PC 101. For purposes of providing an embodiment, the process of converting the internal PES format to an MPEG program stream is shown in fig. 5 and described in section E below.

After the transition, at step 315, DVR102A may append the additional data to the MPEG program stream. In the case where the conversion is performed in the PC, the DVR102A appends the additional data in the internal PES format of the multimedia content before sending the multimedia content to the PC 101. The additional data may in any case be content data, for example, comprising information requesting multimedia content. The license data may contain information about the user's ability to store and play multimedia content. For example, a user may be limited to storing content on a PC for three days.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view of an MPEG content stream 400 in accordance with an embodiment. MPEG content 405 contains data representing the requested multimedia content. The MPEG content stream 405 is composed of interleaved video 405A, audio 405B and data packets in a format readable by the PC 101. The additional data 401 and 404 may be attached in an MPEG content stream 405 for transmission to the PC 101.

In an embodiment, the additional data may include metadata 401, public metadata 402, private metadata 403, and license data 404. For example, metadata 401 and public metadata 402 may contain information about the content itself, such as the content name, duration, advertisements that may be played, and other content annotations. Private metadata 403 may contain other information such as customer information for pay-per-view movies, customer billing information, customer preferences, and the like. The authentication data 404 may contain information about user authentication restrictions including playback restrictions or storage restrictions.

Alternatively, the license data may indicate a validity period or time for the content, such that once the indicated validity period or time has passed, the media application running on PC101 will delete or otherwise clear the transferred content from the PC memory. Alternatively, the expiration of such an expiration period may cause the media application to display a message to the user indicating the expiration of the multimedia content. Additionally, the permission data may indicate the number of times the multimedia content may be viewed, so that once the user exceeds the viewing limit, the PC101 will delete the content from the PC memory.

In another embodiment, the additional data may include DVR raw data. For example, MPEG content stream 405 may include information such as the sequence number or MAC address of DVR 102A. Additionally, the DVR raw data may comprise a signature that employs the private key of DVR 102A.

In another embodiment, the DVR may also append a unique watermark to data located in the program stream. For example, DVR102A may modify program flow 400 by inserting data that represents DVR102A sequence number. In video or photo content, the watermark may be visible so that when the multimedia content is played back, the original DVR information is displayed on the screen in a non-interfering manner. Alternatively, the watermark may be invisible or imperceptible to the user so that the watermark data is hidden in the program stream, but is still available for validation.

Returning to fig. 3, after DVR102A appends the additional data in program stream 400, at step 317 DVR102A may encrypt the program stream for secure transmission to PC101 in the same manner as described above for encrypting messages between a DVR and a PC. DVR102A may decide to encrypt the entire program stream 400 or, alternatively, only certain portions of program stream 400, such as MPEG content stream 405 and private metadata 403.

At step 319, DVR102A sends the program stream to PC 101. When the PC101 receives the program stream, it decrypts the program stream 400 described above in step 322. Alternatively, if DVR102A employs a different encryption algorithm, then PC101 will employ the respective algorithm used to decrypt program stream 400. After the PC101 decrypts the program stream, the PC101 may store the program stream on a memory local to the PC or removable.

Alternatively, in another embodiment, when PC101 receives the encrypted program stream from DVR102A, PC101 may store the encrypted program stream directly on the PC's local or removable memory without going through a decryption process. Subsequently, during playback of the multimedia content, the PC101 acquires and decrypts the encrypted program stream using an appropriate decryption key. Thus, when a user requests playback of multimedia content, the program stream is retrieved from memory, decrypted and displayed to the user.

During playback, the PC101 may utilize the additional data 401 of the program stream 400 along with 404 to display content information or to perform a permission check authorizing playback of the content. In addition, once the program stream has been decrypted and stored, the PC101 can transmit the multimedia content to another device such as the portable device 101A. The transmission to the portable device 101A may be accomplished in any manner. For example, the media application may provide an option for synchronizing multimedia content stored on the PC101 with the portable device 101A. Synchronization may be over the LAN105 or directly through a serial cable or wireless interface. In addition, for proper playback on the portable device 101A, the PC101 may further convert the code of the stored program stream by converting the program stream into a format readable by the portable device 101A.

In another embodiment, PC101 may already have stored multimedia content that the user would like to access with his DVR 102A. After PC101 and DVR102A have established a secure connection as described above, DVR102A may request multimedia content from PC 101. Using a graphical user interface located on DVR102A, a user may select multimedia content for retrieval from PC 101. The multimedia content on the PC may be content downloaded from content service provider 106B, content from another DVR102B, or multimedia content already owned by the user and stored on PC 101. In addition, the multimedia content may be content provided by the portable device 101A. In one embodiment, the portable device 101A is a videophone with the capability to record, store, and play back video content. Thus, the portable device 101A may transmit the stored video program to the PC101 and, in turn, may transmit the video program to the DVR 102A. In other embodiments, the portable device 101A may be any device capable of transmitting multimedia content to the PC 101.

To transfer content from PC101 to DVR102A, the transfer process of transferring content from the DVR to the PC is reversed. However, instead of converting the program stream, PC101 only encrypts the MPEG program stream and sends it to DVR 102A. When DVR102A receives the MPEG program stream, it decrypts the program stream and converts it to an internal PES format, for example, by reversing the above PES-MPEG conversion process. Alternatively, the DVR may store the MPEG program stream on the storage device without conversion or decryption.

In yet another embodiment, the user may automatically perform the above process by having PC101 automatically obtain content from DVR 102A. For example, using a media application on PC101, a user may specify a schedule for obtaining multimedia content from DVR102A by setting a predetermined time for obtaining the content. When the time for acquisition occurs, the media application automatically requests content from DVR 102A. In conjunction with the time scheduled for obtaining the content, the user may also specify the particular multimedia content to be obtained. Thus, the programmable media application may acquire all user-specified recorded content on DVR102A once a week, effectively synchronizing content on PC101 with content on DVR 102A. Alternatively, the user may request that only particular multimedia content be automatically obtained from DVR 102A. In one embodiment, the particular multimedia content may be a particular TV program or a series of particular television programs.

In the event that the user wants to subscribe to multimedia content that the DVR has not yet recorded, the media application is operable to cause DVR102A to record a particular program and then transmit that recorded content to PC 101. The media application on PC101 is also used to determine whether particular multimedia content has been recorded and stored on DVR 102A. For example, the media application may periodically request a list of recorded content stored on DVR102A to determine whether particular multimedia content is already stored. If no multimedia content is listed that is already stored in DVR102A, the media application will not initiate the transfer of content from DVR102A to PC 101. In addition, the media application may identify the particular multimedia content for which recording is scheduled and, if not, may instruct 102A to record the content at the appropriate time (e.g., using information obtained from an electronic program guide). Once the media application determines that particular multimedia content has been stored on DVR102A, the media application initiates the transfer of the content between DVR102A and PC101 using the process for transferring content described above.

Alternatively, the user may subscribe to the acquisition of content through the service provider 106A. For example, the user may access the website of service provider 106A to indicate that the user wants to transfer particular multimedia content from DVR102A to PC 101. Once the content has been recorded and stored by DVR102A, the user may instruct that the multimedia content be delivered at a scheduled time or automatically. Service provider 106A then sends a message to PC101 instructing PC101 to request and retrieve content from DVR102A with the user's settings.

Alternatively, service provider 106A may instruct PC101 to obtain other multimedia content from DVR102A that the user has not requested. For example, service provider 106A may instruct PC101 to receive a series of video advertisements that service provider 106A wishes the user to view on PC 101. Service provider 106A has the ability to push content to PC101 via DVR 102A. This enables service provider 106A to implement a fee-based service where advertisers and content providers pay service provider 106A to push their content to user PC 101. Payment may be based on just placing the content on the PC101, where the actual user is viewing the content on the PC, i.e. where the advertiser or content provider's payment is based on what the user is actually viewing, or a combination of both. The media application has other user viewing statistics that report to the service provider 106A which have been viewed, how many times the content has been viewed, and how much of each content has been viewed, as well as measurables.

Thus, the user does not need to initiate a transfer using the media application on the PC 101. Instead, the user need only indicate which specific content the user wants to transfer from DVR102A to PC 101. Additionally, if a user requests the transmission of multimedia content that has not been recorded or stored on DVR102, service provider 106A may not instruct PC101 to obtain the multimedia content until service provider 106A determines that the multimedia content is available on DVR 102A.

In one embodiment, service provider 106A may determine that multimedia content is available on DVR102 by directly connecting to DVR102A through Internet 107. Alternatively, service provider 106A may make this determination by establishing a connection with DVR102A over a telephone line. DVR102A may initiate the connection or service provider 106A may initiate the connection. Service provider 106A maintains database information that includes DVR102 recording multimedia content and scheduled recordings. Each time service provider 106A connects with DVR102A, service provider 106A updates its database to properly feed back the content recorded by DVR102A and scheduled recordings. Thus, service provider 106A checks the database to determine whether DVR102A contains recorded content or has scheduled a particular recording.

Once service provider 106A determines that DVR102A has recorded particular multimedia content, service provider 106A sends a message to PC101 to initiate the transfer of multimedia content from DVR102A to PC 101. Alternatively, service provider 106A may simply send a request to PC101 to transfer multimedia content from DVR102A to PC101, after which a media application on PC101 is employed to determine whether DVR102A contains recorded content, or whether the recording and/or retrieval of the content should be scheduled. Additionally, in another embodiment, the above process may be used to initiate a transmission from DVR102A to portable device 101A. Thus, service provider 106A may send a message to PC101 to initiate a transfer from DVR102A to PC101 and further to convert the multimedia content to a code in a format readable by portable device 101 and transfer the multimedia content to portable device 101A.

Additionally, the above-described process may be initiated by the portable device 101A. In this embodiment, the portable device 101A may be used to access a website of the service provider 106A. Thus, the portable device 101A can be used to select and schedule the transmission of multimedia content from the DVR02A to the PC 101. Additionally, in one embodiment, service provider 106A may determine a completion time for the transmission of multimedia content from DVR102A to PC 101. For example, once the transfer is complete, DVR102A or PC101 may send a message to service provider 106A over Internet 107. Subsequently, the service provider 106A may send a message indicating that the transmission is complete to the portable device 101A via the internet 107. Additionally, in another embodiment, the portable device 101A may be a cell phone, and the service provider 106A may request the cell phone network operator to send a notification message to the cell phone using the cell phone network.

Broadband applications of the system are also possible. In such an application of the system, the content service provider allows DVR102A to select content to be transmitted and viewed on DVR102 via a broadband network, such as Internet 107. For example, DVR102A may download content from content server 106B via internet 107 for playback or storage on DVR 102A.

Referring to FIG. 5, a user interface for downloading content via a broadband network is shown, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Through the normal television 102A connected to DVR102A, DVR102A causes screen 501 to be presented to the user of DVR 102A. Screen 501 contains selectable options, one of which is a "video connection" option for obtaining multimedia content over a broadband connection. The user of DVR102A may select the options displayed on screen 501 by utilizing any suitable control interface, and a remote control device associated with DVR102, 102A, for example. When the DVR102A user selects the "video connect" option, DVR102A presents screen 502.

Screen 502 displays information about multimedia content available for download. In one embodiment, the information may be a title, duration, and description of the multimedia content. When the user selects a particular multimedia content, DVR102A presents screen 503 to the user.

Screen 503 includes an option for purchasing and initiating the download of multimedia content from content provider 106B. Once the user chooses to purchase and download multimedia content, DVR102A sends a request to content service provider 106B to initiate the transfer of multimedia content to DVR 102A. In other implementations, the user may download the multimedia content without purchasing the multimedia content from the content provider 106B. For example, the user may have previously paid for the multimedia content or the multimedia content may be free.

To ensure secure transfer of the content between content server 106B and DVR102A through internet 107, the multimedia content may be encrypted by content server 106B using the public encryption key of DVR 102A. The public encryption key of DVR102A may be provided to content server 106B from DVR102A or service provider 106A. Once DVR102A receives the encrypted multimedia content, it may decrypt and store the content for playback. In another embodiment, the multimedia content downloaded from content server 106B may be subsequently transferred to PC101 or another DVR102B using the processes described above.

3.3 internal PES to MPEG-2 conversion Process

In one embodiment, DVR102A stores the recorded multimedia content for playback in an internal PES format. However, in order for the PC101 to process the multimedia content, the internal PES format must be converted into a PC-readable format. In one embodiment, this PC readable format is an MPEG program stream. Referring to fig. 6, an internal PES representation of multimedia content is represented by PES buffer 604, which contains video events (V) and audio events (a) of the multimedia content. Additionally, in other embodiments, the PES buffer 604 may contain other events such as private data events. To begin the process of converting the data of internal PES buffer 604 to MPEG program stream 400, DVR102A allocates an audio buffer 612 and a video buffer 614.

Parser 606 reads each event in the PES buffer and places the audio or video data in a respective buffer 612 or 614. Thus, video event (V) will be parsed into video buffer 612 and audio event (a) will be parsed into audio buffer 614.

The video buffer 612 and the audio buffer 614 are monitored by the packer 620. When a predetermined amount of video or audio data fills each buffer, packetizer 620 begins creating packets for transmission of multimedia content in the packet-switched network. In one embodiment, a packet includes a header portion and a data portion. The packetizer 620 creates packets by extracting video or audio data from the respective buffers and placing it in the data portion of each packet. For example, the packer 606 may create one packet for every 5 kilobytes of data in the video buffer 612. For example, assume that each video event (V) in video buffer 612 represents 1 KB. When five video events (V) enter the video buffer 612, the packer 606 determines that enough data (5KB) has filled the video buffer 612 and inserts data representing 5 video events (V) into the data portion of the packet.

In addition, in another embodiment, the packetizer 620 is for placing additional data in the header portion of each packet. For example, packetizer 620 may insert header data into the packets indicating that the audio and video data has been encoded using the MPEG standard. When the packager is finished creating packet P1, it puts the packet in output stream 630. In one embodiment, the packets P1-P5 in the output stream 630 are supplied to an encryption module 640 for encrypting each packet using a suitable encryption algorithm. Optionally, the encryption module 640 may be used to tag the message with an encryption key generated using SHA-1 in conjunction with the DVR's MAC address or media access key. Finally, each packet in the output stream 630 is sent to the PC 101. Unlike the internal PES representation of the multimedia content, the resulting output stream 630 is in a format readable by the PC 101.

In another embodiment, instead of utilizing an internal PES format, DVR102A may store the multimedia content as an MPEG program stream. In one embodiment, the MPEG program stream is an MPEG-2 or MPEG-4 program stream. Thus, DVR102A would not need to convert the data stream for transmission to PC 101. For example, when DVR102A initiates the transfer of multimedia content to PC101, DVR102A retrieves an MPEG program stream from storage, parses the stream into packets, and sends the packets to PC 101. As described above, DVR102A may also encrypt data sent to PC 101. As the PC101 receives each packet, it reassembles the packets into an MPEG program stream and stores the data stream on memory. When the user wants to play back multimedia content, the PC101 retrieves the MPEG program stream from the memory, decrypts the data stream, and displays the multimedia content to the user. In addition, the PC101 may convert the MPEG program stream code for transmission to the portable device 101A. In another embodiment, the PC101 may send the MPEG program stream directly to the portable device 101A without any further processing. For example, the portable device 101A may be used to store and play back multimedia content in MPEG format.

Alternatively, DVR102A may store multimedia content in any format suitable for storage and/or playback on DVR 102A. Additionally, DVR102A or PC101 may convert multimedia content into any format suitable for storage and/or playback on PC101 or portable device 101A.

4.0 implementation device-hardware description

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a computer system 700 upon which embodiments of the invention may be implemented. Computer system 700 includes a bus 702 or other communication mechanism for communicating information, and a processor 704 coupled with bus 702 for processing information. Computer system 700 also includes a main memory 706, such as a Random Access Memory (RAM) or other dynamic storage device, coupled to bus 702 for storing information and instructions to be executed by processor 704. Main memory 706 also may be used for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during execution of instructions to be executed by processor 704. Computer system 700 further includes a Read Only Memory (ROM)708 or other static storage device coupled to bus 702 for storing static information and instructions for processor 704. A storage device 710, such as a magnetic disk or optical disk, is provided and coupled to bus 702 for storing information and instructions.

Computer system 700 may be coupled via bus 702 to a display 712, such as a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT), for displaying information to a computer user. An input device 714, including alphanumeric and other keys, is coupled to bus 702 and is used to communicate information and command selections to processor 704. Another type of user input device is cursor control 716, such as a mouse, a trackball, or cursor direction keys for communicating direction information and command selections to processor 704 and for controlling cursor movement on display 712. The input device typically has two degrees of freedom in two axes, a first axis (e.g., x) and a second axis (e.g., y), that allows the device to be positioned in a plane.

The invention is related to the use of computer system 700 for implementing the techniques described herein. According to one embodiment of the invention, those techniques are performed by computer system 700 in response to processor 704 executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions contained in main memory 706. Such instructions may be read into main memory 706 from another machine-readable medium, such as storage device 710. Execution of the program of instructions contained in main memory 706 causes processor 704 to perform the process steps described herein. In alternative embodiments, hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions to implement the invention. Thus, embodiments of the invention are not limited to the specific combination of hardware circuitry and software.

The term "machine-readable medium" as used herein refers to any medium that participates in providing instructions to processor 704 for execution. The medium may take many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile media includes, for example, optical or magnetic disks, such as storage device 710. Volatile media includes dynamic memory, such as main memory 706. Transmission media includes coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, including the wires that comprise bus 702. Transmission media can also take the form of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated during radio wave and infrared data communications.

Common forms of machine-readable media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, other physical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, and EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, a carrier wave as described hereinafter, or any other medium from which a computer can read.

Various forms of machine-readable media may be involved in carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions to processor 704 for execution. For example, the instructions may initially be carried on a magnetic disk of a remote computer. The remote computer can load the instructions into its dynamic memory and send the instructions over a telephone line using a modem. A modem local to computer system 700 can receive the data on the telephone line and use an infra-red transmitter to convert the data to an infra-red signal. An infra-red detector can receive the data carried in the infra-red signal and appropriate circuitry can place the data on bus 702. Bus 702 carries the data to main memory 706, from which main memory 706 processor 704 retrieves and executes the instructions. The instructions received by main memory 706 may optionally be stored on storage device 710 either before or after execution by processor 704.

Computer system 700 also includes a communication interface 718 coupled to bus 702. Communication interface 718 provides a two-way data communication coupling to a network link 720, which network link 720 is connected to a local network 722. For example, communication interface 718 may be an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) card or a modem to provide a data communication connection to a corresponding type of telephone line. As another example, communication interface 718 may be a Local Area Network (LAN) card to provide a data communication connection to a compatible LAN. Wireless links may also be implemented. In any implementation, communication interface 718 sends and receives electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams representing various types of information.

Network link 720 typically provides data communication through one or more networks to other data devices. For example, network link 720 may provide a connection through local network 722 to a host computer 724 or to data equipment operated by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) 726. ISP726 in turn provides data communication services through the world wide packet data communication network now commonly referred to as the "internet" 728. Local network 722 and internet 728 both use electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams. The signals through the various networks and the signals on network link 720 and through communication interface 718, which carry the digital data to and from computer system 700, are exemplary forms of carrier waves transporting the information.

Computer system 700 can send messages and receive data, which can include program code, through the network(s), network link 720 and communication interface 718. In an internet embodiment, a server 730 might transmit a requested code for an application program through internet 728, ISP726, local network 722 and communication interface 718.

The received code may be executed by processor 704 as it is received, and/or stored in storage device 710, or other non-volatile storage for later execution. In this manner, computer system 700 may obtain program code in the form of a carrier wave.

In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments thereof. It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

5.0 extensions and alternative embodiments

In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments thereof. It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

Claims (49)

1. A method for providing secure transmission and playback of multimedia content, comprising:

identifying on the digital video recorder a personal computer in the local area network as an authorized shared personal computer;

establishing a secure connection between the digital video recorder and the authorized sharing personal computer;

receiving a request for the multimedia content from the authorized sharing personal computer at the digital video recorder, wherein the request is in response to the authorized sharing personal computer receiving a message from a service provider instructing the authorized sharing personal computer to request multimedia content from the digital video recorder;

obtaining, on the digital video recorder, the requested multimedia content from one or more memories connected to the digital video recorder, wherein the requested multimedia content is stored in a first video format;

converting, on the digital video recorder, the multimedia content in the first video format to multimedia content in a second video format, wherein the second video format is a computer-readable format; and

transmitting multimedia content in the second video format from the digital video recorder to the authorized sharing personal computer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing a secure connection further comprises:

receiving, on the digital video recorder, a first connection request from the authorized sharing personal computer; and

determining, on the digital video recorder, that the authorized sharing personal computer is authorized to establish the connection, wherein determining that the authorized sharing personal computer includes receiving a unique identifier from the authorized sharing personal computer.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a message on the digital video recorder authorizing a personal computer to establish the connection, the personal computer being any personal computer utilizing a media application assigned a unique identifier.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said message from said service provider is sent to said authorized sharing pc after said service provider determines that said requested multimedia content is stored on said one or more memories.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining the requested multimedia content from a service provider on the digital video recorder; and

storing the requested multimedia content on the one or more memories.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said request for multimedia content from said authorized sharing pc is sent in response to said authorized sharing pc receiving a message from a service provider.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving advertising content from a service provider on the digital video recorder;

sending the advertising content from the digital video recorder to the personal computer;

receiving the advertising content on the personal computer;

displaying the advertising content to a user;

sending a message from a personal computer to the service provider indicating that the advertising content has been received by the user.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving advertising content from a service provider on the digital video recorder;

sending the advertising content from the digital video recorder to the personal computer;

receiving the advertising content on the personal computer;

displaying the advertising content to a user; and

sending a message from a personal computer to the service provider indicating that the advertising content has been displayed to the user;

the advertiser is charged by the service provider for the user to view advertisements from the advertising content on the personal computer.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that said message from said service provider is sent to said authorized sharing pc after said service provider has received a remote request for the transmission of multimedia content; wherein the remote request to transmit multimedia content is from a portable device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the second format of the multimedia content is any mpeg format.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the converting step further comprises:

appending additional data to the multimedia content in the second format, wherein the additional data includes information about the multimedia content.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the multimedia content in the first and second formats is in any mpeg format.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the additional data comprises user license information for the multimedia content.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the additional data comprises original information of the multimedia content.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the converting step further comprises:

attaching a watermark to the multimedia content in the second format.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of encrypting multimedia content in a second format on the digital video recorder.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the specific multimedia content from the digital video recorder in response to a message from a service provider instructing the transmission of the specific multimedia content from the digital video recorder to the portable device, the message from the service provider having been received by the digital video recorder or the authorized sharing personal computer.

18. A method for providing secure transmission and playback of multimedia content, comprising:

identifying, on the personal computer, a particular digital video recorder as an authorized shared digital video recorder;

wherein the digital video recorder records and downloads multimedia content;

establishing a secure connection between the personal computer and the authorized shared digital video recorder;

requesting specific multimedia content from the authorized shared digital video recorder;

receiving at the personal computer the requested specific multimedia content and metadata associated with the multimedia content from the authorized shared digital video recorder, wherein the multimedia content is in the form of a digital data stream and the multimedia content can only be decrypted by the personal computer; and

storing the digital data stream on a memory communicatively coupled to the personal computer;

displaying a transmission status of the multimedia content and metadata associated with the multimedia content to a user via a media application on the personal computer;

formatting the stored digital data stream for playback using a portable device; and

transmitting said formatted digital data stream from said personal computer to an authorized portable device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the portable device is a personal computing device, a mobile phone, or a portable media player.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the digital data stream is in any motion picture experts group format.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

user input is received identifying the particular digital video recorder as an authorized digital video recorder.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the user input identifying the particular digital video recorder as an authorized digital video recorder is a unique identifier associated with the particular digital video recorder.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the requesting step further comprises:

requesting specific multimedia content from said authorized shared digital video recorder in response to receiving a message from a service provider requesting transmission of said specific multimedia content from said authorized shared digital video recorder to a personal computer.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the message from the service provider is sent after the service provider determines that the particular multimedia content is stored on the memory of the digital video recorder.

25. An apparatus for providing secure transmission and playback of multimedia content, comprising:

means for identifying a personal computer on the digital video recorder as authorized to share the personal computer in the local area network;

means for establishing a secure connection between said digital video recorder and said authorized sharing personal computer;

means for receiving a request at said digital video recorder for said multimedia content from said authorized sharing personal computer, wherein said request is in response to said authorized sharing personal computer receiving a message from a service provider instructing said authorized sharing personal computer to request multimedia content from said digital video recorder;

means for obtaining, on the digital video recorder, the requested multimedia content from one or more memories connected to the digital video recorder, wherein the requested multimedia content is stored in a first video format;

means for converting multimedia content in the first format to multimedia content in the second video format on the digital video recorder, wherein the second video format is a computer readable format;

means for transmitting multimedia content in the second video format from the digital video recorder and metadata associated with the multimedia content to the authorized sharing personal computer.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein establishing a secure connection further comprises:

means for receiving a first connection request from said authorized sharing pc on said digital video recorder, an

Means for determining, on the digital video recorder, authorization of the authorized sharing personal computer to establish the connection, wherein determining authorization of the authorized sharing personal computer comprises receiving a unique identifier from the authorized sharing personal computer.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising:

a message is received at the digital video recorder authorizing the application of the media application and specifying the unique identifier for the personal computer to establish the connection.

28. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the message from the service provider is sent to the authorized sharing pc after the service provider determines that the requested multimedia content is stored on the one or more memories.

29. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising:

means for obtaining the requested multimedia content from a service provider on the digital video recorder; and

means for storing the requested multimedia content on the one or more memories.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein said request for multimedia content from said authorized sharing pc is sent in response to said authorized sharing pc receiving a message from a service provider.

31. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising:

means for receiving advertising content from a service provider on the digital video recorder; and

means for sending advertising content from the digital video recorder to the personal computer;

means for receiving advertising content on the personal computer;

means for displaying the advertising content to a user;

means for sending a message from a personal computer to the service provider indicating that the advertising content has been received by the user; and

means for charging an advertiser for advertisements from the user viewing the advertising content on the personal computer by a service provider.

32. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising:

means for receiving advertising content from a service provider at the digital video recorder;

means for sending advertising content from said digital video recorder onto said personal computer;

means for receiving said advertising content from said digital video recorder on said personal computer; means for displaying the advertising content to a user; and

a module for sending a message from the personal computer to the service provider indicating that the advertising content has been displayed to the user;

means for charging an advertiser for advertisements from the user viewing the advertising content on the personal computer by a service provider.

33. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein said message from said service provider is sent to said authorized sharing pc after said service provider receives a remote request to transmit multimedia content; and wherein the remote request from the portable device to transmit multimedia content is sent.

34. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the multimedia content in the second format is in any mpeg format.

35. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the conversion module further comprises:

means for attaching additional data to the multimedia content in the second format, wherein the additional data includes information about the multimedia content.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the multimedia content in the first and second formats is in any moving picture experts group format.

37. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the additional data comprises user license information for the multimedia content.

38. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the additional data comprises original information of the multimedia content.

39. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the conversion module further comprises:

means for attaching a watermark to the multimedia content in the second format.

40. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising:

means for encrypting the multimedia content in the second format on the digital video recorder.

41. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising:

means for receiving the particular multimedia content from the digital video recorder in response to a message from a service provider instructing the transmission of the particular multimedia content from the digital video recorder to the portable device, wherein the message from the service provider has been received by the digital video recorder or the authorized sharing personal computer.

42. An apparatus for secure transmission and playback through multimedia content, comprising:

means for identifying on the personal computer a particular digital video recorder as authorized to share the digital video recorder;

wherein the digital video recorder records and downloads multimedia content; means for establishing a secure connection between said personal computer and said authorized shared digital video recorder;

means for requesting specific multimedia content from the authorized shared digital video recorder;

means for receiving at said personal computer the requested specific multimedia content from said authorized shared digital video recorder and metadata associated with the multimedia content, wherein said multimedia content is in the form of a digital data stream and the multimedia content can only be decrypted by the personal computer;

means for storing said digital data stream on a memory communicatively coupled to said personal computer;

a media application for displaying a transmission status of the multimedia contents and metadata related to the multimedia contents to a user on a personal computer;

means for formatting, by a personal computer, the stored digital data stream for playback with a portable device; and

means for transmitting said formatted digital data stream from said personal computer to an authorized portable device.

43. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the portable device is a personal computing device, a mobile phone, or a portable media player.

44. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the digital data stream is in any MPEG format.

45. The apparatus of claim 42, further comprising:

means for receiving user input identifying the particular digital video recorder as an authorized digital video recorder.

46. The apparatus of claim 45 wherein the user input identifying the particular digital video recorder as an authorized digital video recorder is a unique identifier associated with the particular digital video recorder.

47. The device of claim 42, wherein the request module further comprises:

means for requesting specific multimedia content from said authorized shared digital video recorder in response to receiving a message from a service provider requesting transmission of specific multimedia content from said authorized shared digital video recorder to a personal computer.

48. The apparatus of claim 47 wherein the message from the service provider is sent after the service provider determines that the requested multimedia content is stored on the memory of the digital video recorder.

49. The apparatus of claim 42, further comprising:

means for receiving multimedia content from a portable device on the authorized sharing personal computer; and

means for storing the multimedia content on the memory of the authorized sharing personal computer on the authorized sharing personal computer.