Methods and apparatus for controlling content distribution
Methods and apparatus for controlled distribution of program content are described where program content for certain regions may be selectively blocked. The described methods and apparatus allow content distribution to authorized regions while providing control to the content provider to effectively block program content delivery to regions not entitled to receive the program content.
1. A content delivery method, the method comprising:
receiving content, at a network headend, via a communications link;
replicating received content at the network headend for delivery to a plurality of local distribution centers, said network headend using at least one of i) different ports or ii) different IP addresses for distribution of content to different local distribution centers;
communicating separate individual copies of the received content to different local distribution centers using: i) different ports at the network headend or ii) different port and IP address combinations;
processing, at said network headend, a command received from a remote location to determine if distribution of a program included in said received content is to be blocked from delivery to a region; and
when the received command indicates that a program included in said received content is to be blocked from delivery to a region, blocking, at said network headend, said program from being output using a port and an IP address used to deliver content to a local distribution center corresponding to the region from which the program is to be blocked while proceeding with outputting of said replicated copies of said content using a port and IP address used to deliver content to a different local distribution center.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said communications link is a satellite communications link.
3. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein said different regions are serviced by different local distribution centers; and
wherein replicating received content at said network headend includes generating multiple individual copies of the received content.
4. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein said local distribution center is a local cable network headend; and
wherein said received command indicates the region to which content delivery is to be blocked by specifying: i) a port number and ii) an IP address corresponding to said region to which content delivery is to be blocked.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said one of said local distribution centers is one of a plurality of distribution centers from which said program is to be blocked.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving said command via the communications link, wherein said communications link is a satellite communications link.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein said command includes information identifying both the port number and the IP address, the method further comprising:
recovering from the received command the information identifying the port number and IP address corresponding to said region from which delivery of a program is to be blocked; and
wherein blocking said program includes: outputting, using the indicated port and IP address, alternative program content in place of the program content to be blocked.
8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
receiving via said satellite communications link, information indicating specific alternative program content to be distributed in place of the program which is to be blocked.
9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
receiving via said satellite communications link, the alternative program content to be distributed in addition to receiving said program which is to be blocked.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein said specific alternative programming content is locally stored programming content.
11. A content delivery system, comprising:
a receiver, at a network headend, for receiving content via a satellite communications link;
a replication circuit, at said network headend, configured to replicate received content for delivery to a plurality of local distribution centers, using at least one of i) different ports or ii) different IP addresses for distribution of content to different local distribution centers;
a program content distribution control circuit configured to control said content delivery system to communicate separate individual copies of the received content to different local distribution centers using: i) different ports at the network headend or ii) different port and IP address combinations;
a command recovery processor, at said network headend, configured to process a command received from a remote location to determine if distribution of a program included in said received content is to be blocked from delivery to a region; and
wherein when the received command indicates that a program included in said received content is to be blocked from delivery to a region, said distribution control circuit is further configured to block, at said network headend, said program content said program from being output using a port and an IP address used to deliver content to a local distribution center corresponding to the region from which the program is to be blocked while proceeding with outputting of said replicated copies of said content using a port and IP address used to deliver content to a different local distribution center.
12. The content delivery system of claim 11 , wherein said receiver is a satellite receiver.
13. The content delivery system of claim 11 ,
wherein said different regions are serviced by different local distribution centers;
wherein said distribution network headend includes a plurality of switching and packetization devices, different local distribution centers corresponding to different ones of said multiple switching and packetization devices;
wherein a first switching and packetization device in said plurality of switching and packetization devices is responsive to a first control signal from said command recovery processor to make a first selection between substitute content and replicated content, to packetize the first selected one of the substitute content and replicated content and to stream the packetized first selected one of the substitute content and replicated content to a first local distribution center; and
wherein a second switching and packetization device in said plurality of switching and packetization devices is responsive to a second control signal from said command recovery processor to make a second selection between substitute content and replicated content, to packetize the second selected one of the substitute content and replicated content and to stream the packetized second selected one of the substitute content and replicated content to a second local distribution center which is at a different location than said first local distribution center.
14. The content delivery system of claim 11 ,
wherein said program content distribution control circuit is responsive to received commands from said command recovery processor.
15. The content delivery system of claim 11 ,
wherein said received command indicates the region to which content delivery is to be blocked by specifying: i) a port number and ii) an IP address corresponding to said region to which content delivery is to be blocked; and
wherein different port number and IP address combinations correspond to different local distribution centers.
16. The content delivery system of claim 14 , wherein said one of said local distribution centers is one of a plurality of distribution centers from which said program is to be blocked.
17. The content delivery system of claim 14 , wherein said command includes information identifying a geographic region from which content is blocked, the system further comprising:
an IP address look-up module, at said network headend, for determining from the information identifying a geographic region, an IP address of a distribution center serving the identified geographic region.
18. The content delivery system of claim 17 , wherein said information identifying a geographic region is a name of the geographic region.
19. The content delivery system of claim 11 , wherein said receiver is further adapted to receive information indicating specific alternative program content to be distributed in place of the program which is to be blocked.
20. The content delivery system of claim 19 , further comprising:
a content substitution module for outputting the alternative program content using the port and IP address corresponding to the geographic region for which a command indicates program content is to be blocked.
21. The content delivery system of claim 19 , further comprising:
memory for storing the alternative programming content, said alternative programming content being received via said satellite link.
22. The content delivery system of claim 21 , wherein said specific alternative programming content is locally stored programming content.
23. A content delivery system, the comprising:
a receiver, at a network headend, for receiving content via a satellite communications link;
a content replication hardware circuit, at said network headend, for replicating received content for delivery to a plurality of local distribution centers, using at least one of i) different ports or ii) different IP addresses for distribution of content to different local distribution centers;
content distribution control hardware circuit for controlling the content delivery system to communicate separate individual copies of the received content to different local distribution centers using: i) different ports at the network headend or ii) different port and IP address combinations;
a command recovery hardware circuit, at said network headend, for processing a command received from a remote location to determine if distribution of a program included in said received content is to be blocked from delivery to a region; and
wherein when the received command indicates that a program included in said received content is to be blocked from delivery to a region, said content distribution control hardware circuit is further configured to block, at said network headend, said program content said program from being output using a port and an IP address used to deliver content to a local distribution center corresponding to the region from which the program is to be blocked while proceeding with outputting of said replicated copies of said content using a port and IP address used to deliver content to a different local distribution center.
24. The content delivery system of claim 23 , wherein said different regions are serviced by different local distribution centers.
25. The content delivery system of claim 23 ,
wherein said content distribution control hardware circuit for controlling the content delivery system is responsive to received commands from said command recovery hardware circuit.