System and method for encrypting and modulating video streams

1. A dual tier distribution method, comprising:

encrypting and modulating, by a plurality of encrypting modulators of a remote media stream manager and provider (RMP), a plurality of source media streams to provide a plurality of encrypted and modulated media streams;

de-modulating, by a plurality of non-decrypting demodulators of the RMP, the plurality of encrypted and modulated media streams to provide a plurality of encrypted and demodulated media streams;

transmitting, to a second tier, the plurality of encrypted and demodulated media streams over multiple high speed networks coupled to multiple ports of the RMP; and wherein the RMP is adapted to determine which encrypted and demodulated media streams to transmit;

modulating the plurality of encrypted and demodulated media streams, by at least one non-encrypting modulator of the second tier, to provide a plurality of second encrypted and modulated media streams; and

transmitting the plurality of second encrypted and modulated media streams to a plurality of clients over a last-mile network;

wherein neither one of the plurality of encrypted and modulated media streams, the plurality of encrypted and demodulated media streams, the plurality of second encrypted and modulated media streams are further encrypted before being transmitted to the plurality of clients.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein wherein at least one encrypting modulator is a broadcast encrypting modulator and at least one encrypting modulator is a narrowcast encrypting modulator.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: converting the plurality of encrypted and demodulated media streams to a format associated with the high speed network, wherein converting renders a plurality of converted media streams.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising: receiving the plurality of converted media streams at a plurality of local multiple media stream manager and provider (LMP) units; un-converting the plurality of converted media streams prior to providing the plurality of second encrypted and modulated media streams.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of LMP units include a second plurality of signal converters; a second plurality of non-encrypting modulators coupled to the second plurality of signal converters; and a second plurality of non-decrypting demodulators coupled to the second plurality of non-encrypting modulators.

6. The method of claim 4 , further comprising: receiving a plurality of second-tier media streams at the plurality of LMP units; de-modulating the plurality of second-tier media streams to provide a plurality of encrypted second-tier media streams; and transmitting the plurality of encrypted second-tier media streams to the plurality of clients over the last-mile network.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising: replacing one or more of the plurality of encrypted media streams with one or more of the plurality of encrypted second-tier media streams.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein a number of non-encrypting modulator of the second tier exceeds a number of encrypting modulators of the RMP.

9. A dual tier distribution system, comprising a first tier and a second tier, wherein the first tier comprises:

first tier media sources that provides a plurality of source media streams; and

a remote multiple media stream manager and provider (RMP) comprising:

a plurality of RMP units configured to select the plurality of source media streams;

multiple encrypting modulators configured to encrypt and modulate the plurality of source media streams and to provide a plurality of encrypted and modulating media streams;

multiple non-decrypting demodulators configured to demodulate the plurality of encrypted and modulating media streams and to provide a plurality of encrypted and demodulated media streams;

multiple ports configured to transmit the plurality of encrypted and demodulated media streams over multiple high speed networks to the second tier of the dual tier distribution system;

wherein the second tier further comprises:

a local multiple media stream manager and provider (LMP) comprising a plurality of LMP units;

means for receiving the plurality of converted media streams at the plurality of local multiple media stream manager and provider (LMP) units;

wherein only the multiple encrypting modulators are arranged to perform an encryption operation.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein at least one encrypting modulator is a broadcast encrypting modulators and at least one encrypting modulator is a narrowcast encrypting modulator.

11. The system of claim 9 , further comprising: means for converting the plurality of encrypted and demodulated media streams to a format associated with the high speed network, wherein the converting means renders a plurality of converted media streams.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the second tier further comprising:

means for receiving the plurality of converted media streams at the plurality of the LMP units;

means for un-converting the plurality of converted media streams to provide a second plurality of encrypted media streams;

multiple non-encrypting modulators configured to modulate the second plurality of encrypted media streams to provide a plurality of second encrypted and modulated media streams; and

means for transmitting the plurality of second encrypted and modulated media streams to a plurality of clients over a last-mile network.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of LMP units include a second plurality of signal converter means; a second plurality of non-encrypting modulator means coupled to the second plurality of signal converter means; and a second plurality of non-decrypting demodulator means coupled to the second plurality of non-encrypting modulator means.

14. The system of claim 12 , further comprising:

means for receiving a plurality of second-tier media streams at the plurality of LMP units;

means for de-modulating the plurality of second-tier media streams to provide a plurality of encrypted second-tier media streams; and

means for transmitting the plurality of encrypted second-tier media streams to the plurality of clients over the last-mile network.

15. The system of claim 14 , further comprising: means for replacing one or more of the plurality of encrypted media streams with one or more of the plurality of encrypted second-tier media streams.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the LMP further includes a plurality of signal selector means to select one or more signals from the plurality of encrypted media streams and the plurality of encrypted second-tier media streams.

17. A dual tier distribution system, comprising a first tier and a second tier, wherein the first tier comprises:

a remote multiple media stream manager and provider (RMP) that comprises a plurality of RMP units;

wherein the RMP is adapted to determine which encrypted and demodulated media streams to transmit and to receive a plurality of source media streams;

wherein the plurality of RMP units comprise a plurality of encrypting modulators and a plurality of non-decrypting demodulators coupled to the encrypting modulators;

wherein the plurality of RMP units encrypt the plurality of source media streams to provide a plurality of encrypted media streams; modulate the plurality of encrypted media streams to provide a plurality of encrypted and modulated media streams; de-modulate the plurality of encrypted and modulated media streams to provide a plurality of encrypted and demodulated media streams; and transmit the plurality of encrypted and demodulated media streams to the second tier of the dual tier distribution system, over multiple high speed networks coupled to multiple ports of the RMP; wherein the RMP is adapted to determine which encrypted and demodulated media streams to transmit;

wherein each media stream of the plurality of source media streams is provided to an encrypting modulator of the plurality of encrypting modulator means in response to a mapping between encrypting modulators of the plurality of encrypting modulator means and clients that are coupled to the RMP; wherein the providing each of the media streams to the respective encrypting modulator is preceded by determining, by a management entity, which media streams are provided to which encrypting modulator and by a configuration of a routing unit of the RMP to support said determination;

wherein the dual tier distribution system is arranged to perform an encryption only by the plurality of encrypting modulators of the RMP units.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein each RMP unit of the plurality of RMP units comprises: a plurality of encrypting modulators; a plurality of non-decrypting demodulators coupled to the encrypting modulators; a plurality of signal converters coupled to the non-decrypting demodulators; and a selector coupled to the plurality of signal converters.

19. The system of claim 17 , wherein the plurality of RMP units convert the plurality of encrypted and demodulated media streams to a format associated with the high speed network, and render a plurality of converted media streams.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the second tier further comprising:

a plurality of local multiple media stream manager and provider (LMP) units to receive the plurality of converted media streams; wherein the plurality of LMP units un-convert the plurality of converted media streams to provide a second plurality of encrypted media streams; modulate the second plurality of encrypted media streams to provide a plurality of second encrypted and modulated media streams; and

transmits the plurality of second encrypted and modulated media streams to a plurality of clients over a last-mile network.

21. The system of claim 20 , wherein the plurality of LMP units include a second plurality of signal converters; a second plurality of non-encrypting modulators coupled to the second plurality of signal converters; and a second plurality of non-decrypting demodulators coupled to the second plurality of non-encrypting modulators.

22. The system of claim 20 , further comprising: a plurality of second-tier media stream sources connected to the plurality of LMP units, wherein the LMP units receive a plurality of second-tier media streams from the plurality of second-tier media steam sources; de-modulate the plurality of second-tier media streams to provide a plurality of encrypted second-tier media streams; and transmit the plurality of encrypted second-tier media streams to the plurality of clients over the last-mile network.

23. The system of claim 22 , wherein the LMP units further replace one or more of the plurality of encrypted media streams with one or more of the plurality of encrypted second-tier media streams.

24. The system of claim 23 , wherein the plurality of LMP units further comprise a plurality of signal selectors to select one or more signals from the plurality of encrypted media streams and the plurality of encrypted second-tier media streams.

25. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising encrypting a program key by at least one client public key to provide at least one encrypted program key, wherein the program key is used to encrypt a media stream of the plurality of media streams to provide an encrypted media stream; and transmitting the at least one encrypted program key.

26. The system according to claim 9 , further comprising means for encrypting a program key by at least one client public key to provide at least one encrypted program key, wherein the program key is used to encrypt a media stream of the plurality of media streams to provide an encrypted media stream, and means for transmitting the at least one encrypted program key.

27. The system according to claim 17 , wherein the plurality of RMP units encrypt at least one program key by at least one client public key to provide at least one encrypted program key, wherein each of the at least one program key is used to encrypt a media stream of the plurality of media streams to provide an encrypted media stream; and wherein the plurality of RMP units transmit the at least one encrypted program key.

28. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the transmitting is preceded by a stage of splitting an encrypted media stream and feeding it to multiple outputs of the RMP.

29. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the transmitting is preceded by a stage of splitting an encrypted and modulated media stream and feeding it to multiple outputs of the RMP.

30. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the providing is preceded by duplicating a source media stream and feeding it to multiple encrypting modulators.

31. The method according to claim 1 wherein the multiple high speed networks are selected from a group consisting of: SONET network, WDM network and packet switched WDM network.

32. The system according to claim 17 wherein at least one encrypting modulator is a broadcast encrypting modulator and at least one encrypting modulator is a narrowcast encrypting modulator.

33. The system according to claim 17 wherein a number of non-encrypting modulator of the second tier exceeds a number of encrypting modulators of the RMP.