Method and system for securely providing and storing content in a multiple dwelling unit system

1. A method of operating a communication system comprising:

communicating content signals to a gateway through one of a satellite or a terrestrial network;

storing the content signals in a memory associated with the gateway;

generating a request for content from a first user device of a plurality of user devices to the gateway;

communicating an encrypted local key to the first user device from the gateway;

decrypting the encrypted local key at the first user device to form a local key; encrypting a first content signal at the gateway with the local key to form a first encrypted content signal;

communicating the first encrypted content signal to the first user device from the memory associated with the gateway in response to the request;

decrypting the first encrypted content signal with the local key at the user device;

generating a plurality of return signals from the plurality of user devices; and

aggregating the plurality of return signals at the gateway to form an aggregate signal and communicating the aggregate signal to a head end.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising prior to communicating the content signals, encrypting the content signals.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein encrypting a first content signal comprises encrypting the first content signal and storing the first encrypted content signal in the memory associated with the gateway.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising encrypting the local key at the gateway to form the encrypted local key.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising receiving the encrypted local key at the gateway.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein decrypting the first encrypted content signal comprises decrypting the first encrypted content signal at the user device in response to the local key and a control word.

7. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein decrypting the first encrypted content signal comprises decrypting the first encrypted content signal at the user device in response to the local key and a control word generated at the user device.

8. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein decrypting the first encrypted content signal comprises decrypting the first encrypted content signal at the user device in response to the local key and a control word generated at the gateway.

9. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising generating a second request for content from a second user device from the plurality of user devices and communicating the first content to the second user device from the memory in response to the second request.

10. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising generating a second request for content from a second user device from the plurality of user devices and communicating a second content to the second user device from the memory in response to the second request, said second content different than the first content.

11. A method of operating a communication system comprising:

encrypting a plurality of signals with broadcast encryption to form a plurality of encrypted signals;

communicating the plurality of encrypted signals to a system gateway through one of a satellite or a terrestrial network;

storing the encrypted signals in a memory device at the gateway; generating a request for content for a first signal of the plurality of encrypted signals stored in the storage device memory from a first user device of the plurality of user devices;

communicating an encrypted local key to the first user device from the gateway; decrypting the encrypted local key at the first user device to form a local key;

encrypting a first content signal at the gateway with the local key to form a first encrypted content signal;

communicating the first encrypted signal to the first user device from the memory of the gateway;

decrypting the first signal with the local key at the first user device to form unencrypted signals;

generating a plurality of return signals from the plurality of user devices;

aggregating the plurality of return signals at the gateway to form an aggregate signal; and

communicating the aggregate signal to a head end.

12. A method as recited in claim 11 wherein the first signal comprises a channel signal.

13. A method as recited in claim 11 wherein the first signal comprises a content signal.

14. A method as recited in claim 11 further comprising generating a second request for content from a second user device from the plurality of user devices and communicating the first content to the second user device from the memory in response to the second request.

15. A method as recited in claim 11 further comprising generating a second request for content from a second user device from the plurality of user devices and communicating a second content to the second user device from the memory in response to the second request, said second content different than the first content.

16. A communication system having a head end generating a plurality of content signals comprising:

a plurality of user devices comprising at least a first user device; and

a system gateway in communication with the head end and the plurality of user devices, said system gateway comprising a memory, said system gateway receiving the plurality of content signals from the head end through one of a satellite or a terrestrial network and storing the plurality of content signals in the memory, said system gateway communicating an encrypted local key to the first user device;

the first user device of the plurality of user devices generating a request for content to the system gateway and decrypting the encrypted local key to form a local key;

said system gateway encrypting a first content signal with the local key to form a first encrypted content signal and communicating the first encrypted content signal to the first user device from the memory in response to the request;

said first user device decrypting the first encrypted content signal with the local key;

said plurality of user devices generating a plurality of return signals; and

said system gateway aggregating the plurality of return signals to form an aggregated signal and that communicates the aggregated signal to the head end.

17. A system as recited in claim 16 wherein the system gateway generates the encrypted local key.

18. A system as recited in claim 16 wherein the first user device decrypts the encrypted signal in response to the local key and a control word.

19. A system as recited in claim 16 wherein the user device decrypts the encrypted signal in response to the local key and a control word generated at the user device.

20. A system as recited in claim 16 wherein the user device decrypts the encrypted signal in response to the local key and a control word generated at the system gateway and transmitted to the user device.

21. A system as recited in claim 16 further comprising a second user device from the plurality of user devices generating a second request for content and wherein said gateway communicates the first content to the second user device from the memory in response to the second request.

22. A system as recited in claim 16 further comprising a second user device from the plurality of user devices generating a second request for content and wherein the gateway communicates a second content to the second user device from the memory in response to the second request, said second content different than the first content.

23. A system as recited in claim 16 wherein the plurality of user devices comprises multiple dwelling unit devices and the gateway comprises a multiple dwelling unit gateway.

24. A system as recited in claim 16 wherein the system gateway and the plurality of user devices are disposed within a multiple dwelling unit.