Distributed non-real-time content

1. A reception apparatus, comprising:

receiver circuitry configured to receive content included in a digital television broadcast signal broadcast from a content source;

a memory configured to store the content;

at least one processor configured to

receive or determine a selection of the content included in the digital television broadcast signal broadcast from the content source,

determine whether the same period of selected content, which is available to be downloaded from the digital television broadcast signal, is available to be downloaded from at least one external device that previously downloaded the same period of selected content from the digital television broadcast signal, the at least one external device being accessible via a communication network,

when the at least one processor determines that the same period of the selected content is available to be downloaded from the at least one external device that is accessible via the communication network, to download the same period of the selected content from the at least one external device via communication circuitry configured to communicate with the communication network, and

when the at least one processor determines that the same period of the selected content is not available for download from the at least one external device that is accessible via the communication network, to download the same period for the selected content from the digital television broadcast signal broadcast by the content source, wherein

the at least one processor is configured to

determine whether the same period of the selected content is available to be downloaded from the at least one external device associated with a same network prefix as the reception apparatus, and

determine whether the same period of the selected content is available to be downloaded from the at least one external device associated another network prefix that is different from the network prefix of the reception apparatus when the same period of the selected content is determined not to be available to be downloaded from the at least one external device associated with the same network prefix as the reception apparatus.

2. The reception apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the receiver circuitry is configured to receive a list of the content broadcast from the content source, and

the at least one processor is configured to receive the selection of the content from the list of the content.

3. The reception apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the reception apparatus is a mobile device, and

the at least one external device is associated With a mobile network operator (MNO) that receives the digital television broadcast signal broadcast from the content source and downloads the content from the digital television broadcast signal.

4. The reception apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the at least one processor is configured, when the at least one processor determines that the same period of the selected content is not available to be downloaded from the at least one external device that is accessible via the communication network, to download the same period of the selected content from an evolved Multicast Broadcast Multimedia Service (eMBMS) signal broadcast from the MNO.

5. The reception apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the content source is a digital television broadcaster,

the receiver circuitry is configured to receive the digital television broadcast signal, including the content, from the content source, and

the at least one processor is configured to determine whether the same period of the selected content is available to be downloaded from the at least one external device that is accessible via the communication network based on identification information included in a Service Signaling Channel (SSC) of the digital television broadcast signal broadcast from the content source.

6. The reception apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the content is associated with primary content included in the digital television broadcast signal broadcast from the content source, and

the receiver circuitry is configured to receive the digital television broadcast signal that includes the content and the primary content.

7. The reception apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is configured

to determine whether the same period of the selected content is available to be downloaded from the at least one external device connected to a same subnet as the reception apparatus, and

when the at least one processor determines that the same period of the selected content is not available to be downloaded from the at least one external device connected to the same subnet as the reception apparatus, to determine whether the same period of the selected content is available to be downloaded from another external device connected to another subnet different from the subnet of the reception apparatus.

8. The reception apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to store a subset of the content included in the digital television broadcast signal broadcast from the content source based on user preference information.

9. The reception apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine whether the same period of the selected content is available to be downloaded from the at least one external device that is accessible via the communication network before download of the period of the selected content from the digital television broadcast signal is permitted.

10. A method of a reception apparatus for accessing content, the method comprising:

receiving, by receiver circuitry of the reception apparatus, a digital television broadcast signal broadcast by a content source;

receiving or determining, by a processor of the reception apparatus, a selection of the content included in the digital television broadcast signal;

determining, by the processor, whether the same period of the selected content which is available to be downloaded from the digital television broadcast signal is available to be downloaded from at least one external device that previously downloaded the same period of selected content from the digital television broadcast signal, the at least one external device being accessible via a communication network;

when the same period of the selected content is determined to be available for download from the at least one external device that is accessible via the communication network, downloading via communication circuitry of the reception apparatus the same period of the selected content from the at least one external device, and

when the same period of the selected content is determined not to be available for download from the at least one external device that is accessible via the communication network, downloading the same period of the selected content form the digital television broadcast signal broadcast by the content source, wherein

the determining whether the same period of the selected content, which is available to be downloaded from the digital television broadcast signal, is available to be downloaded from the at least one external device includes

determining whether the same period of the selected content is available to be downloaded from the at least one external device associated with a same network prefix as the reception apparatus, and

determining whether the same period of the selected content is available to be downloaded from the at least one external device associated another network prefix that is different from the network prefix of the reception apparatus when the same period of the selected content is determined not to be available to be downloaded from the at least one external device associated with the same network prefix as the reception apparatus.

11. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising:

receiving, by the receiver circuitry of the reception apparatus, a list of the content broadcast from the content source, wherein

the receiving the selection includes receiving the selection of the content from the list of the content.

12. The method according to claim 10 , wherein

the reception apparatus is a mobile device, and

the at least one external device is associated with a mobile network operator (MNO) that receives the digital television broadcast signal and downloads the content from the digital television broadcast signal.

13. The method according to claim 12 , further comprising:

when the same period of the selected content is determined not to be available to be downloaded from the external device that is accessible via the communication network, downloading the same period of the selected content from an evolved Multicast Broadcast Multimedia Service (eMBMS) signal broadcast from the MNO.

14. The method according to claim 10 , wherein

the content source is a digital television broadcaster, and

the method further includes

receiving, by the reception apparatus, the digital television broadcast signal, including the content, from the content source, and

determining whether the same period of the selected content is available to be downloaded from the at least one external device that is accessible via the communication network based on identification information included in a Service Signaling Channel (SSC) of the digital television broadcast signal broadcast from the content source.

15. The method according to claim 10 , wherein

the content is associated with primary content included in the digital television broadcast signal broadcast from the content source, and

the method further includes receiving, by the reception apparatus, the digital television broadcast signal that includes the content and the primary content.

16. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the determining whether the same period of the selected content is available to be downloaded from the at least one external device that is accessible via the communication network comprises:

determining whether the same period of the selected content is available to be downloaded from the at least one external device connected to a same subnet as the reception apparatus, and

when the same period of the selected content is determined not to be available to be downloaded from the at least one external device connected to the same subnet as the reception apparatus, determining whether the same period of the selected content is available to be downloaded from another external device connected to another subnet different from the subnet of the reception apparatus.

17. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising:

storing, in the memory, a subset of the content included in the digital television broadcast signal broadcast from the content source based on user preference information.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embedded therein instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method of a reception apparatus for accessing content, the method comprising:

causing receiver circuitry of the reception apparatus to receive a digital television broadcast signal broadcast by a content source;

receiving or determining a selection of the content included in the digital television broadcast sisal broadcast by the content source;

determining whether the same period of the selected content which is available to be downloaded from the digital television broadcast signal is available to be downloaded from at least one external device that previously downloaded the same period of selected content from the digital television broadcast signal, the at least one external device being accessible via a communication network;

when the same period of the selected content is determined to be available to be downloaded from the at least one external device that is accessible via the communication network, downloading via communication circuitry of the reception apparatus the same period of the selected content from the at least one external device, and

when the same period of the selected content is determined not to be available to be downloaded from the at least one external device that is accessible via the communication network, downloading the same period of the selected content from the digital television broadcast signal broadcast by the content source, wherein

the determining whether the same period of the selected content which is available to be downloaded from the digital television broadcast signal is available to be downloaded from the at least one external device includes

determining whether the same period of the selected content is available to be downloaded from the at least one external device associated with a same network prefix as the reception apparatus, and

determining whether the same period of the selected content is available to be downloaded from the at least one external device associated another network prefix that is different from the network prefix of the reception apparatus when the same period of the selected content is determined not to be available to be downloaded from the at least one external device associated with the same network prefix as the reception apparatus.