Distributed media-protection systems and methods to operate the same

In a content delivery system comprising a content provider and a plurality of media devices in communication with the content provider, wherein each of the plurality of media devices is associated with at least one of a plurality of subscribers, a method of providing a media stream for display, comprising the steps of:

• receiving at a first media device associated with a first subscriber, a user selection to playback the media stream, the media stream associated with metadata comprising an encrypted version of a pseudorandom seed;
• extracting the encrypted version of the pseudorandom seed from the metadata;
• decrypting the encrypted version of the pseudorandom seed to determine whether the first media device is authorized to playback the media;
• identifying, using the first media device, at least two media devices storing respective ones of at least two media slices of the selected media based upon fctypto(N,S), wherein fcrypto(N,S) is a cryptographic combination of N and S, N is based upon a name of the media stream, and S is a pseudorandom seed, wherein at least one of the at least two of the media devices storing respective ones of the at least two media slices of the selected media is associated with a second subscriber and not the first subscriber;
• gathering, using the first media device, the at least two media slices from the identified at least two media devices;
• combining, in the first media device, the at least two media slices to form the media stream;
• and
• outputting the media stream from the first media device to a display device electrically coupled to the first media device, the media stream being output by the display device to present the media stream to the user.

A media device for use with a content delivery system comprising a content provider and a plurality of other media devices in communication with the content provider, wherein the media device and each of the plurality of other media devices is associated with at least one of a plurality of subscribers, comprising:

• a hardware input device to receive input from a first subscriber of the plurality of subscribers, the input selecting a piece of media for playback;
• a distributed media module to identify a first identified media device of the plurality of other media devices, the first identified media device associated with a second subscriber and storing a first media slice of the selected piece of media based upon fcrypto(N,S), wherein fcrypt(N,S) is a cryptographic combination of N and S, N is based upon a name of the piece of media, and S is a pseudorandom seed, to identify a second identified media device of the plurality of other media devices, the second identified media device associated with a third subscriber storing a second media slice of the selected piece of media based upon fcrypt(N,S), to gather the first media slice and the second media slice from the first identified media device and the second identified media device, and combine the first identified media slice and the second identified media slice to form a media stream representative of the media;
• a security device to decrypt an encrypted version of the pseudorandom seed, the encrypted version of the pseudorandom seed extracted from metadata associated with the media stream;
• and
• a display module to output the media stream to a display device electrically coupled to the media device, the media stream being output by the display device to present the media stream to the user.

In a content delivery system comprising a content provider and a plurality of media devices in communication with the content provider, wherein each of the media devices is associated with at least one of a plurality of subscribers, a media device comprising:

• a hardware input module to receive an input from a first of the plurality of subscribers selecting a media stream;
• a front end module, responsive to the input, to receive the selected media stream, wherein metadata associated with the media stream comprises an encrypted pseudorandom seed;
• a security module to extract the encrypted pseudorandom seed from the metadata and to decrypt the encrypted pseudorandom seed;
• a distributed media module comprising a slicer to split the received media stream into at least two portions, and to select one of the at least two portions of the media stream to be stored on a second media device associated with a second of the plurality of subscribers based upon fcrypto(N,S), wherein fcrypto(N,S) is a combination of N and S, N is based upon a name of the media stream, and S is the extracted pseudorandom seed;
• a network interface to transmit the selected one of the at least two portions of the media stream to the second media device, wherein at least one of the front end module, the security module;
• and
• a display module to output the selected media stream to a display device electrically coupled to the media device, the media stream being output by the display device to present the media stream to the user.

A non-transitory computer-readable media storing machine accessible instructions which, when executed, cause a first media device of a plurality of media devices to:

• receive input from a first subscriber of a plurality of subscribers in the first media device, the input selecting media for playback by the first media device, the media having associated metadata comprising an encrypted pseudorandom seed;
• extract the encrypted pseudorandom seed from the metadata;
• decrypt the encrypted pseudorandom seed;
• identify, at the first media device, at least two other of the plurality of media devices associated with other of the plurality of subscribers, each storing respective ones of at least two media slices of the selected media based upon fcrypto(N,S), wherein fcrypto(N,S) is a combination of N and S, N is based upon a name of the media stream, and S is a pseudorandom seed;
• gather the at least two media slices from the identified at least two of the plurality of media devices;
• combine the at least two media slices to form a media stream representative of the media;
• and
• output the media stream from the first media device to a display device electrically coupled to the first media device, the media stream being output by the display device to present the media stream to the first subscriber.

In a content delivery system comprising a content provider and a plurality of media receivers in communication with the content provider, a method of providing a media stream for display, comprising the steps of:

• receiving a user input in a first media receiver, the user input selecting the media stream;
• receiving, responsive to the user input, the selected media stream in the first media receiver from the content provider;
• splitting, at the first media receiver, the received media stream into at least two portions;
• allocating, using the first media receiver, a first of the at least two portions to the first media receiver and a second of the at least two portions to a second media receiver based upon fcrypto(N,S), wherein fcrypto(N,S) is a cryptographic combination of N and S, N is based upon a name of the media stream, and S is a pseudorandom seed;
• storing the first of the at least two portions on the first media receiver and transmitting the second of the at least two portions from the first media receiver to the second media receiver for storage therein based upon the allocation;
• and
• outputting the media stream from the first media device to a display device electrically coupled to the first media receiver, the media stream being output by the display device to present the media stream to the user.