The Directv Group, Inc.

Aspandyar M Jijina

Robert G Arsenault

Raynold M Kahn

Thomas H James

Gregory J Gagnon

Stephen P Dulac

Hans M Hagberg

Jeffrey D Carpenter

Charles Liu

Hanno Basse

Sui-Ky Ringo Ling

Deanna R Kidd

Ranny Q Sue

Jeffrey L Sharkey

Xavier Riley

Michael R Munsell

Mitch C Jacobs

Haydee C Silva

A system for receiving satellite signals for display on a monitor. A system in accordance with the present invention comprises an antenna, a server receiver, coupled to the antenna, and at least one client receiver, coupled to the server receiver, wherein the server receiver maintains a list of satellite video signals to be recorded by the server receiver, the satellite video signals including network recorded data and metadata associated with the network recorded data, and wherein the list can be accessed by the server receiver and the at least one client receiver.

Digital storage media command and control data indexing

A method and apparatus for updating set top box software from a resident software version stored in a memory of the set-top box to a current software version is disclosed. The method comprises the step of automatically checking to determine if the resident software version is the current software version, and downloading data comprising at least a portion of the current software version if the resident software version is not the current software version.

Automatic software update detection and flexible installer for set-top boxes

Methods and apparatus to select Tornado forward error correction parameters for delivery systems are disclosed. A disclosed example system includes a transmitter station comprising a processor to select a Tornado error correction parameter based on an error correction configuration for a file and to indicate to a receiver the selected Tornado error correction parameter, and a Tornado error correction circuit to encode the file based on the selected Tornado error correction parameter.

Methods and apparatus to select tornado error correction parameter

A system and method for distributing requested content includes a content management systemand a devicesuch as a set top box that selects a selection corresponding to content in the content management systemand transmits a first material identification to the content management system. The content management systemtransmits the content to the device with a second material identification associated therewith. The devicereceives the content and the second material identification and compares the first material identification to the second material identification. When the second material identification corresponds to the content, the device continues downloading the content. When the second material identification does not correspond to the content, downloading of the file is discontinued. A content prefix may also be used alone or in combination with the material identification. The content is prevented from being transmitted if the content prefix does not correspond to the content type.

Method and apparatus of verifying that requested content matches content to be downloaded

A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture provide the ability to activate functionality in a set-top box. A feature authorization message is received in a set-top box. The feature authorization message comprises one or more rules to be evaluated (wherein each of the rules comprises one or more tests for a status of one or more conditional access moduleattributes), one or more event requirements for rule evaluation, and one or more features that are dependent by the rule evaluation result (wherein each of the one or more features represents a set of one or more abilities of hardware and/or software of the set-top box). When one or more of the event requirements have been met, the one or more rules are evaluated to obtain a result. The ability to use the one or more features are then set based on the result.

Service activation of set-top box functionality using broadcast conditional access system

A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture provide the ability to activate functionality in a set-top box. A feature authorization message is received in a set-top box. The feature authorization message comprises one or more rules to be evaluated (wherein each of the rules comprises one or more tests for a status of one or more conditional access module attributes), one or more event requirements for rule evaluation, and one or more features that are dependent by the rule evaluation result (wherein each of the one or more features represents a set of one or more abilities of hardware and/or software of the set-top box). When one or more of the event requirements have been met, the one or more rules are evaluated to obtain a result. The ability to use the one or more features are then set based on the result.

Methods and apparatus to select tornado error correction parameters

Growing community of inventors

Redondo Beach, CA, United States of America

Aspandyar M Jijina