Carrying protected content using a control protocol for streaming and a transport protocol

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a control flow request from a client;

establishing a control flow responsive to the control flow request, the control flow establishing an exchange of a protected media content with the client using a Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) for streaming, the establishing comprising:

receiving, from the client, a license request message in the body of an RTSP DESCRIBE request;

sending, to the client, a description using an RTSP Session Description Protocol (SDP) which includes a license response message that contains a license;

communicating the protected media content to the client using a data flow, wherein the data flow uses a transport protocol, wherein the communicating comprises streaming and the transport protocol comprises Real Time Transport Protocol (RTP) with the protected media content encapsulated in an RTP packet, the RTP packet containing encryption parameters used in a decryption process to decrypt the protected media content; and

sending to the client an RTSP ANNOUNCE request to change a protected media content policy or both a protected media content policy and a protected media content format associated with the protected media content during streaming of the protected media content, wherein the RTSP ANNOUNCE request comprises a new license response message that contains a new license, the new license dictating the changed protected media content policy that applies to the protected media content at a point during the streaming of the protected media content, wherein, when both the protected media content policy and the protected media content format are to be changed, the new license response message is embedded in an updated SDP description sent via the RTSP ANNOUNCE request, wherein the protected media content policy is selected from a group comprising enabling, disabling and changing a copy protection scheme.

2. A computer-implemented method comprising:

establishing a control flow with a server for exchanging a protected media content with the server using a Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) by sending a license request message in a body of an RTSP DESCRIBE request;

accepting, in response to the license request message, a license response message from the server that contains a license;

receiving the protected media content from the server via Real Time Transport Protocol (RTP) with the protected media content encapsulated in an RTP packet, the RTP packet comprising encryption parameters used in a decryption process to decrypt the protected media content; and

updating, with an RTSP ANNOUNCE request received from the server, a protected media content policy or both a protected media content policy and a protected media content format associated with the protected media content during the exchanging of the protected media content, wherein the RTSP ANNOUNCE request comprises a new license response message that contains a new license, the new license dictating the updated protected media content policy to apply to the protected media content at a point during the exchanging of the protected media content, wherein, when both the protected media content policy and the protected media content format are to be updated, the new license response message is embedded in an updated SDP description in the RTSP ANNOUNCE request.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the RTP packet further comprises multiple different encrypted payloads.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the encryption parameters comprise a key ID extension and an initialization vector for each encrypted payload.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the receiving comprises:

identifying a descriptor in the RTP packet that comprises encryption parameters utilized in a decryption process to decrypt the protected media content; and

associating the descriptor with the protected media content.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the descriptor is appended to an end of the protected media content in the RTP packet.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the protected media content comprises being decrypted using a single key referenced by the descriptor.

8. The method of claim 2 , wherein

the license response message which contains the license is included in an RTSP Session Description Protocol (SDP).

9. A computer-implemented method comprising:

establishing a control flow with a receiver for exchanging protected media content using a Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) in response to receiving a license request message in a body of an RTSP DESCRIBE request;

replying to the license request message with a license response message that contains a license;

sending protected media content to the receiver using a data flow, wherein the data flow uses a transport protocol, wherein the sending comprises streaming and the transport protocol comprises Real Time Transport Protocol (RTP) with the protected media content encapsulated in an RTP packet, the RTP packet containing encryption parameters used in a decryption process to decrypt the protected media content; and

updating, with an RTSP ANNOUNCE request, a protected media content policy or both a protected media content policy and a protected media content format associated with the protected media content during streaming of the protected media content, wherein the RTSP ANNOUNCE request comprises a new license response message that contains a new license, the new license dictating the protected media content policy to apply to the protected media content at a point during the streaming of the protected media content, wherein, when both the protected media content policy and the protected media content format are to be updated, the new license response message is embedded in an updated SDP description sent via the RTSP ANNOUNCE request.

10. A computer-implemented method comprising:

establishing a control flow for exchanging protected content using a control protocol for streaming;

streaming protected content using a data flow, wherein the data flow uses a transport protocol comprising Real Time Transport Protocol (RTP) with the protected content encapsulated in an RTP packet, wherein the RTP packet comprises encryption parameters used in a decryption process to decrypt the protected content; and

updating a policy or both a policy and format information associated with the protected content during streaming of the protected content, wherein the act of updating comprises sending updates via the control protocol for streaming, and wherein the control protocol for streaming comprises a Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) and the updates are sent via RTSP ANNOUNCE requests, wherein each of the RTSP ANNOUNCE requests comprise a license response message that contains a license, the license dictating which policies apply to the protected content at a point during the streaming of the protected content, wherein, when both the policy and the format information are to be updated, each new license response message is embedded in an updated SDP description sent via each of the RTSP ANNOUNCE requests.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the RTP packet further comprises multiple different encrypted payloads.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the encryption parameters comprise a key ID extension and an initialization vector for each encrypted payload.

13. The method of claim 10 , the method further comprising:

identifying a descriptor in the RTP packet that comprises encryption parameters utilized in a decryption process to decrypt the protected content; and

associating the descriptor with the protected content.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the descriptor is appended to an end of the protected content in the RTP packet.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the decryption process comprises the protected content being decrypted using a single key referenced by the descriptor.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the license response message that contains the license is included in an RTSP Session Description Protocol (SDP).