Abstract: The invention relates to a method of receiving and securely recording digital data comprising a step for recording said digital data on a secured disk by a recorder/receiver belonging to a determined secured domain comprising several equipment items and defined by an identifier, a step for recording on the secured disk the identifier of the domain of the recorder/receiver to define this domain as the only domain in which the reproduction/copying of the multimedia content is authorized, wherein it comprises a prior step for recovering a disk key from the secured disk, and in that the domain identifier is encrypted by said disk key and the digital data is scrambled by title keys, said title keys being encrypted by said disk key. The invention also relates to a method of securely distributing digital data, an access device and a recorder/receiver.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for controlling digital rights of the “Play N times” type for a digital audio and/or video content, referred to as controlled content, the controlled content being consumed by a consumer on a consuming device or on another device delegating the controlling of these rights to the consuming device. According to this method, charging of one additional usage is inhibited in at least one of the following cases where: the consumer momentarily consumes another content, on the same device where the controlled content is consumed, and then returns to the controlled content; the consumer effects a pause in the usage of the controlled content; the consumer performs a fast-forward of the controlled content; or the consumer performs a rewind of the controlled content.

Abstract: A method for controlling access to content by an Acquisition Point to Presentation Points in clusters in a domain. The AP receives from a PP an access content request comprising the PPs cluster identity and the PP's priority. The AP verifies if access is granted to a PP in the cluster and, if so, grants access to the requesting PP. If not, the AP verifies if access is granted to PPs in a maximum number of clusters. If not, the AP grants access. If the maximum is reached, the AP verifies if the requesting PP's priority is higher than the priority of every PP in another cluster. If not, access is denied; if so, the AP grants access to the requesting PP and denies access to the PPs in the cluster with the lowest priority values. An Acquisition Point is also claimed.

Abstract: A method of recording scrambled digital data comprising the steps consisting in: (a) receiving a scrambled digital data stream; (b) identifying in the data stream a control packet (ECM) containing at least one key (CW) for descrambling at least a part of the data of the stream; (c) storing the control packet in a table; and (d) recording the data stream and the said table on a data storage medium. A storage medium and a method of reading the recorded data are also proposed.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method for controlling the consumption limit date of a digital content which is transferred from distribution means (100) to a consuming device (120) during a temporary connection to be consumed on that device until the limit date, the distribution means (100) having a clock (104), called a reference clock, the value of which at each instant is called the true date. According to this invention, each time the consuming device connects to the distribution means (100), a signal including the true date is transmitted from the distribution means (100) to the consuming device (120) by a secured method to verify that the consumption limit date is not exceeded.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of receiving and securely recording digital data comprising a step for recording said digital data on a secured disk by a recorder/receiver belonging to a determined secured domain comprising several equipment items and defined by an identifier, a step for recording on the secured disk the identifier of the domain of the recorder/receiver to define this domain as the only domain in which the reproduction/copying of the multimedia content is authorized, wherein it comprises a prior step for recovering a disk key from the secured disk, and in that the domain identifier is encrypted by said disk key and the digital data is scrambled by title keys, said title keys being encrypted by said disk key. The invention also relates to a method of securely distributing digital data, an access device and a recorder/receiver.

Abstract: A method for controlling access to content by an Acquisition Point to Presentation Points in clusters in a domain. The AP receives from a PP an access content request comprising the PPs cluster identity and the PP's priority. The AP verifies if access is granted to a PP in the cluster and, if so, grants access to the requesting PP. If not, the AP verifies (603) if access is granted to PPs in a maximum number of clusters. If not, the AP grants access. If the maximum is reached, the AP verifies if the requesting PP's priority is higher than the priority of every PP in another cluster. If not, access is denied; if so, the AP grants access to the requesting PP and denies access to the PPs in the cluster with the lowest priority values. An Acquisition Point is also claimed.

Abstract: A method for enabling a security device to access a service protected by a conditional access system, wherein the service has associated with it two conditional access (CA) system identifier pairs. The device extracts the two CA identifier pairs and automatically identifies the pairs based on a predefined convention, for example, the order in which the identifier pairs are sent. The identifier pairs may comprise a conditional access entitlement control message identifier and a local entitlement control message identifier.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for controlling digital rights of the “Play N times” type for a digital audio and/or video content (132), referred to as controlled content (132), the controlled content being consumed by a consumer on a consuming device (112) or on another device delegating the controlling of these rights to the consuming device. According to the invention, such a process is characterized in that charging of one additional usage is inhibited in at least one of the following cases where: the consumer momentarily consumes another content, on the same device (112) where the controlled content (132) is consumed, and then returns to the controlled content (132), the consumer effects a pause in the usage of the controlled content (132), the consumer performs a fast-forward of the controlled content (132), the consumer performs a rewind of the controlled content (132).

Abstract: A method of recording scrambled digital data comprising the steps consisting in: (a) receiving a scrambled digital data stream; (b) identifying in the data stream a control packet (ECM) containing at least one key (CW) for descrambling at least a part of the data of the stream; (c) storing the control packet in a table; and (d) recording the data stream and the said table on a data storage medium. A storage medium and a method of reading the recorded data are also proposed.

Abstract: A device for regulating bit rate in a system for statistically multiplexing several streams of MPEG 2 coded images is disclosed. The statistical multiplexing system includes a device (1) for allocating bit rate using the complexity calculated by a bit rate regulating device (10). Each coder E(i) of an image stream includes a first coding device (20) for performing spatial coding, a second coding device and a memory for storing the complexity X1st| of the last image coded spatially by the first coding device. The complexity (X−GOP) of the last group of pictures is coded by the second coding device (30). Device (10) regulates the bit rate of coder E(i) for determining the complexity value for the next image coded by the second coding device (30), using stored complexity values. This complexity value is transmitted to the bit rate allocator (1) to determine the next bit rate sent to the coder E(i).

Abstract: A coder comprising banks of analysis filters (26, 27) for partitioning the spatio-temporal spectrum of each television image into sub-bands. The banks of analysis filters are coupled to devices for differential coding (30.sub.i, 31.sub.i, 32.sub.i) for separately coding the signals obtained in each sub-band. The decoder comprises prediction loops (24; 25; 12, 17 . . . 20, 3, 21, 22, 23) equal in number to the number of sub-bands for reconstructing each television image transmitted by the coder portion together with its level of resolution in each of the sub-bands.