Personal content server apparatus and methods
Personal content server apparatus and associated methods that allow a user (e.g., cable or satellite network subscriber) to access content, such as a video program, from a location outside the subscriber's network. In one embodiment, a personal content server streams the content to the subscriber over a network connection from the local e.g., (subscription) network to a remote network upon authorization by a content manager process. Various access, business or operational rules are applied depending on the content and delivery mode; e.g., to live video broadcast, video-on-demand (VOD), or archived content from the subscriber's digital video recorder (DVR) or networked PVR. Secondary content (e.g., promotions, advertisements, etc.) can also be selectively replaced if desired in order to make the remotely delivered content more appropriate to the remote user's context.
1. A non-transitory computer readable apparatus configured for use on or with a web server, said computer readable apparatus having at least one application program stored thereon, said application program configured to:
receive a request for content from at least one subscriber;
determine whether said at least one subscriber is authorized to receive said content;
when it is determined that said at least one subscriber is authorized to receive said content, record said content, said content comprising at least primary and secondary content;
dynamically replace at least portions of said secondary content with content which bears a direct or indirect logical relationship to a geographic location associated to said primary content;
make said recorded content accessible only by said at least one subscriber; and
deliver said recorded content to said at least one subscriber.
2. The computer readable apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said dynamic replacement of said at least portions of said secondary content further comprises replacement with secondary content that is logically proximate to a context of said primary content.
3. The computer readable apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said dynamic replacement of said at least portions of said secondary content further comprises replacement with secondary content which is logically proximate to a network context.
4. The computer readable apparatus of claim 3 , wherein said replacement with secondary content which is logically proximate to the network context comprises replacement with secondary content that bears a logical or deterministic relationship to at least one of an operational or business parameter associated with said network.
5. The computer readable apparatus of claim 4 , wherein said replacement with secondary content that bears a logical or deterministic relationship to at least one of an operational or business parameter comprises replacement with content that is encoded so as to permit delivery over a designated network distribution path.
6. The computer readable apparatus of claim 4 , wherein said replacement with secondary content that bears a logical or deterministic relationship to at least one of an operational or business parameter comprises replacement with content that is selected so as to permit playback or broadcast within an allotted time period.
7. The computer readable apparatus of claim 4 , wherein said replacement with secondary content that bears a logical or deterministic relationship to at least one of an operational or business parameter associated with the network comprises replacement with content that is selected so as to maximize at least one of (i) bandwidth availability, and/or (ii) profits.
8. A web-based server apparatus for delivery of content to a plurality of client devices in a content distribution network, said apparatus comprising:
at least one first interface configured for communication with said plurality of client devices;
at least one second interface configured for communication with a content source; and
processor apparatus in data communication with the at least one first interface and at least one second interface, and configured to execute at least one computer program thereon, said at least one computer program comprising a plurality of instructions which are configured to, when executed:
determine whether at least one subscriber is authorized to receive content requested thereby; and
based at least in part on said determination:
cause a storage entity in communication with said server to record said content provided thereto by said content source;
cause said content stored at said storage entity to be accessible only by said at least one subscriber;
deliver said content to said at least one subscriber; and
upon receipt of a request from a second subscriber for access to said content saved on said storage entity, generate a second copy thereof accessible only by said second subscriber.
9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein said content is caused to be accessible only by said at least one subscriber via at least an association of a particular device identification associated with said at least one requesting subscriber's subscriber account to said content.
10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein said content is caused to be accessible only by said at least one subscriber by at least removing said content from said storage entity upon said delivery thereof to said at least one subscriber.
11. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein said plurality of instructions are further configured to, when executed, receive a request for said content, said request being received from a first network in communication with said content distribution network.
12. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein said storage entity is co-located at or with said web-based server apparatus, and said web-based server is not co-located with other recording entities of a headend of said content distribution network.
13. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein said content distribution network is selected from a group consisting of (i) a hybrid fiber/non-fiber network; and (ii) a satellite network.
14. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein said delivery of said content comprises a transmission of said content in a packetized digital format.
15. A method of providing content from a first content delivery network to a user device, said user device being in wireless communication with an internetwork, said first content delivery network comprising at least one gateway device for communication to said user device via the internetwork, said method comprising:
storing multiple versions of individual ones of a plurality of available content at an internetwork-based server;
receiving a request for a first one of said individual ones of said plurality of content from said at least one user device;
determining whether said user device is authorized to receive said first one of said content; and
when it is determined that said user device is authorized to receive said first one of said content:
selecting from among said multiple versions of said individual ones of said available content a version of said first one of said content specifically designated for said user device; and
transmitting said version of said first one of said content via the internetwork to said user device.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein said internetwork comprises an Internet, and said act of recording said content is performed at an entity of said first content delivery network.
17. The method of claim 15 , wherein said content is caused to be accessible only by said user device via an association of a particular device identification associated with a subscriber account to said content.
18. The method of claim 15 , wherein said version of said first one of said content specifically designated for said user device comprises content which is linked to a unique identifier of a subscriber to which said user device is associated.