JP2009212854A - Broadcasting receiver, its control method, management device and control method for management device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the burden of a viewer when changing a broadcasting receiver used for viewing and listening of a program in a limited reception system. <P>SOLUTION: The broadcasting receiver communicates with a management device and the other broadcasting receiver and receives a broadcasting signal. The broadcasting receiver includes an acquiring means acquiring content information indicating the content to be decoded by using a cipher key to be obtained from the broadcasting signal by the other broadcasting receiver from the management device; and a selecting means selecting the content to be reproduced from the content indicated by the content information. The broadcasting receiver further includes: a receiving means gaining the selected content from the broadcasting signal while receiving the cipher key to decode the selected content from the other broadcasting receiver; and a reproducing means decoding and reproducing the received content by using the received cipher key. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a broadcast receiving apparatus that supports a conditional access system, a control method thereof, a management apparatus, and a control method thereof.

  In digital television broadcasting (hereinafter referred to as “digital broadcasting”), a limited reception method is adopted in which only the subscribers can view the digital broadcasting so as to limit the recipients. In this limited reception system, a digital television receiver (hereinafter referred to as “receiver”) sends descrambling information multiplexed and transmitted to a digital television broadcast signal (hereinafter referred to as “broadcast signal”) to the loaded IC card. The IC card decrypts the descrambling information and sends it back. The receiver uses the decrypted decryption information to decrypt the broadcast signal. This makes it possible to view the program with the receiver.

  In digital broadcasting, a pay broadcasting service called pay per view (PPV) is operated. In PPV, viewers are charged according to the viewing mode (contract mode) of individual programs and program groups. When a pay program is subscribed (program purchase) to a PPV by PPV, the program purchase information is sent from the receiver to the IC card and written in the IC card. The pay program purchase information exists only in the IC card.

  Today, with the widespread use of receivers, an increasing number of homes have a plurality of receivers. When a pay program is purchased by one of a plurality of receivers, pay program purchase information is written in an IC card loaded in the receiver. When the viewer wants to view a pay program, the receiver inquires of the IC card about program purchase information. When it is determined that the pay program has been purchased, the pay program can be viewed by the receiver. Therefore, the purchased pay program can be viewed only by the purchased receiver. In order to view a paid program purchased with one receiver with another receiver, it is necessary to remove the IC card loaded in the receiver used to purchase the program and insert it into the receiver that you want to use for viewing. is there.

  Thus, in order to change the receiver used for viewing, the user needs to perform complicated work. In particular, the IC card slot for the B-CAS card, which is currently popular as an IC card, is often configured so that the IC card is not easily dropped out, so the work of exchanging the IC card is significant for the viewer. It is a burden.

As one form of conditional access system, it is possible to give the same identification information (group ID) to IC cards of multiple receivers installed in limited places such as homes and to watch the same pay program on multiple receivers Is standardized. Moreover, the technique of patent document 1 is known as a technique relevant to this.
JP 2001-298722 A

  However, in the technique of Patent Document 1, since the same pay program can be reproduced simultaneously by a plurality of receivers in the home, the effectiveness of viewing restriction may be impaired. That is, when the price for purchasing a program is set according to the number of receivers in the home, the viewer needs to pay for the receivers that may not be used, which is disadvantageous to the viewer. there is a possibility. On the other hand, if the price for purchasing a program is not increased even if the number of receivers is increased, there is a possibility that it may be disadvantageous for broadcasters and content providers.

  Further, according to the technique of Patent Document 1, it is possible to control so that only a part of a plurality of receivers in a home can play a pay program. In this case, a receiver that can play a pay program Can not be changed. Therefore, in order to change the receiver used for viewing, the viewer needs to replace the IC card as before.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for reducing the burden on the viewer when changing the receiver used for viewing a program in the conditional access system. .

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the first aspect of the present invention is a broadcast receiving apparatus that is capable of communicating with a management apparatus and another broadcast receiving apparatus and that receives a broadcast signal. Acquisition means for acquiring content information indicating content that can be decrypted using an encryption key that can be acquired from a signal, selection means for selecting content to be reproduced from the content indicated by the content information, and the selection Receiving the received content from the broadcast signal, receiving from the other broadcast receiving device an encryption key capable of decrypting the selected content, and decrypting the received content using the received encryption key. And a reproducing means for reproducing the data.

  The second aspect of the present invention is a management device capable of communicating with a plurality of broadcast receiving devices, wherein each of the plurality of broadcast receiving devices indicates content that can be decrypted using an encryption key that can be acquired from a broadcast signal. Acquisition means for acquiring information from each of the plurality of broadcast receiving apparatuses, and transmission means for transmitting the acquired content information to the broadcast receiving apparatus that has requested the acquired content information among the plurality of broadcast receiving apparatuses. And a management device characterized by comprising:

  A third aspect of the present invention is a control method for a broadcast receiving apparatus that is communicable with a management apparatus and another broadcast receiving apparatus and receives a broadcast signal, wherein the other broadcast receiving apparatus acquires from the broadcast signal. An acquisition step of acquiring content information indicating content that can be decrypted using a possible encryption key from the management device, a selection step of selecting content to be reproduced from the content indicated by the content information, and the selected content A reception step of receiving from the other broadcast receiving apparatus a decryption key that can be received from the broadcast signal and capable of decrypting the selected content, and decrypting and playing back the received content using the received encryption key And a regeneration step. A control method is provided.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control method for a management apparatus capable of communicating with a plurality of broadcast receiving apparatuses, wherein each of the plurality of broadcast receiving apparatuses can be decrypted using an encryption key obtainable from a broadcast signal. Acquiring the content information indicating the content information from each of the plurality of broadcast receiving devices, and transmitting the acquired content information to the broadcast receiving device that has requested the acquired content information among the plurality of broadcast receiving devices. And a transmitting step. A control method is provided.

  Other features of the present invention will become more apparent from the accompanying drawings and the following description of the best mode for carrying out the invention.

  With the above configuration, according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the burden on the viewer when changing the receiver used for viewing a program in the conditional access system.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The individual embodiments described below will help to understand various concepts from the superordinate concept to the subordinate concept of the present invention.

  The technical scope of the present invention is determined by the scope of the claims, and is not limited by the following individual embodiments. In addition, all combinations of features described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the present invention.

  In the present embodiment, in order to simplify the description, the description will be made using a receiver (broadcast receiving apparatus) that receives satellite digital broadcasts. However, the present embodiment can be applied to a receiver that receives terrestrial digital broadcasts by changing the configuration of an antenna, a converter, and the like. Further, the term “paid program” broadly means “a program that cannot be played back unless the right to play back the program is acquired”, and there is no need for charging. For example, “paid program” in this embodiment includes a program that gives the right to play for free if you answer a questionnaire, or a program that gives you the right to play unconditionally if you select a specific menu.

  FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating the configuration of the receiver 1 according to the first embodiment.

  A broadcast wave (broadcast signal) received by the antenna 2 is down-converted to an appropriate frequency band by the converter 3 and then input to the tuner 4 of the receiver 1.

  The tuner 4 extracts the signal of the channel designated by the system processor 13 from the broadcast wave (broadcast signal).

  The demodulation circuit 5 demodulates a signal that is modulated by a modulation method such as 8PSK.

  The descrambling circuit 6 performs processing such as transmission descrambling, deinterleaving, and error correction, and then selects a transmission slot for transmitting a service by user channel selection according to an instruction from the system processor 13.

  The demultiplexer 7 separates the service (video, audio, data, etc.) selected by the user from the transport stream (TS) (see ISO / IEC 13818-1). Also, the signal encrypted by the limited reception method is decrypted. At this time, the system processor 13 acquires key information for decryption processing from the IC card connected via the IC card I / F 16 and provides the key information to the demultiplexer 7.

  The AV decoder 8 performs MPEG (Moving Picture Expert Group) decoding processing of each service (elementary stream (ES)) separated by the demultiplexer 7. The audio signal obtained by the decoding process is subjected to an audio output conversion process in the audio output circuit 9 and output from the audio output terminal 26. The video signal obtained by the decoding process is combined with the image of the OSD 18 in the combining circuit 10, and then subjected to a video output conversion process in the video output circuit 11 and output from the video output terminal 27.

  The system processor 13 controls each component of the receiver 1 via the system bus 12. At this time, the system processor 13 operates according to a control program (firmware) recorded in the nonvolatile memory 14 and uses the volatile memory 15 as a work area.

  The nonvolatile memory 14 is, for example, an EEPROM, and the control program recorded here can be rewritten.

  The remote control light receiving terminal 23 receives infrared rays emitted from a remote control (not shown) according to a user operation. The remote control light receiving unit 17 converts the infrared light received by the remote control light receiving terminal 23 into an electrical signal and sends it to the system processor 13. The system processor 13 determines which button of the remote control has been pressed based on the electrical signal received from the remote control light receiving unit 17 and performs processing corresponding to the pressed button. This processing includes, for example, processing for instructing the tuner 4 to select a channel.

  An OSD (On Screen Display) 18 generates characters and graphics for representing program information included in a broadcast wave, the state of a receiver, and the like. The generated characters and graphics are sent to the synthesis circuit 10 where they are synthesized with the video signal.

  The encryption circuit 19 encrypts or decrypts a key used when decrypting the encrypted TS. The encryption circuit 19 is necessary because the broadcast standard stipulates that encryption must be performed when an encryption key is transmitted over a general-purpose bus (in this embodiment, a network (not shown)).

  The modem 20 is used to transmit a purchase history of a pay broadcast program by PPV to a center station (viewing history collection center) via a public line, or to transmit a vote by a viewer implemented in the broadcast program. Is done. Processing such as transmission of purchase history is performed according to the control of the system processor 13.

  The network adapter 21 conforms to, for example, the IEEE 802.3 standard and controls network signals. The network adapter 21 is connected to another receiver, a network device (for example, a router) or the like via the network connection terminal 25.

  When there are a plurality of receivers 1 in a home and all the receivers 1 can communicate via a network, in this embodiment, one of the receivers 1 operates as a master receiver, The receiver 1 operates as a slave receiver. The receiver 1 includes a configuration (management device) for operating as a master receiver. The management apparatus manages an IC card information management table 50 which will be described later with reference to FIG. Further, the master device can communicate with the management device included in the master device. In this embodiment, the receiver 1 includes a management device, but the management device may be separated from the receiver 1. In this case, all the receivers 1 operate as slave receivers and can communicate with the management apparatus. A method for determining the receiver 1 operating as a master receiver in this embodiment will be described later with reference to FIG.

  The master receiver manages information about the IC cards of all the receivers 1 and the usage status of the IC cards. The master receiver makes an inquiry to the slave receiver in order to acquire information related to the IC card of the slave receiver. It also processes IC card use requests from slave receivers.

  The master receiver holds the IC card information management table 50 shown in FIG. 2 in the volatile memory 15 in order to manage the IC card. The IC card information management table 50 has an IC card number 54 indicating the number of IC cards being managed, and IC card management blocks 51, 52 and 53 corresponding to each IC card follow the IC card number 54. The IC card management block 51 includes a status 55, a card ID 56, an IP address 57, a receiver name 58, and a pointer 59 (the same applies to other IC card management blocks).

  The status 55 indicates the usage status of the IC card corresponding to the IC card management block 51. For example, when the status is 1, it indicates that the IC card is in use, and when it is 0, it indicates that it is not used.

  The card ID 56 identifies an IC card corresponding to the IC card management block 51 and includes a 12-digit number or symbol.

  The IP address 57 indicates the IP address of the receiver in which the IC card corresponding to the IC card management block 51 is loaded.

  The receiver name 58 indicates the name of the receiver using the IC card corresponding to the IC card management block 51. The receiver name 58 can be set by the user when the receiver is installed. For example, when the receiver 1 is activated for the first time, a name registration screen as shown in FIG. 3 is generated by the OSD 18, and the display device (not shown) is connected via the synthesis circuit 10, the video output circuit 11, and the video output terminal 27. ) Is displayed. The user can give an arbitrary name using the remote controller. The name is stored in the non-volatile memory 14 and is notified during the IC card registration process described later with reference to FIG. As a name to be set, a name that easily identifies each receiver such as “living room”, “bedroom”, and “child room” is preferable, but is not limited thereto.

  The pointer 59 is a pointer to the pay program management table 60 that manages information on pay programs purchased by the receiver in which the IC card corresponding to the IC card management block 51 is loaded. That is, each IC card management block includes content information indicating content that can be decrypted using an encryption key that can be acquired from a broadcast signal by a receiver in which the corresponding IC card is loaded. The pay program management table 60 is also held in the volatile memory 15.

  The pay program management table 60 includes the number 64 of pay program purchases registered in the IC card, and further holds the number of pay programs purchased by the pay program blocks 61, 62, 63. The pay program block 61 includes a broadcast wave type 65, a channel 66, a program type 67, a program name 68, a start time 69, and a program time 70 (the same applies to other pay program blocks).

  The broadcast wave type 65 identifies BS (Broadcasting Satellite) broadcast, CS (Communications Satellite) broadcast, and the like. For example, when the broadcast wave type 65 is 1, it indicates BS, and when it is 2, it indicates CS.

  A service ID representing a broadcast channel number is set for the channel 66.

  In the program type 67, an event ID for identifying a program, in which a broadcaster is uniquely assigned within a certain period for each program, is set. A program time change or the like is detected by examining the broadcast wave using this event ID.

  The program name 68 holds the title of the program corresponding to the pay program block 61.

  In the start time 69, the date and time when the program corresponding to the pay program block 61 is broadcast is set as a modified Julian date.

  In the program time 70, the broadcast time of the program is designated by the time in seconds.

  Each receiver 1 is not energized in a display device (PDP, LCD, etc.) connected to the receiver 1 when the user is not viewing. However, the system processor 13, the IC card I / F 16, the network adapter 21, etc. are energized and can respond to inquiries from other receivers 1.

<Processing at power-on>
Processing when the main power supply of the receiver 1 is first turned on will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Before the processing of this flowchart starts, the system processor 13, the IC card I / F 16, the network adapter 21 and the like are not energized.

  In the following description, only communication with other receivers via a network related to the present invention, management of an IC card, and the like will be described. Therefore, the description of parts unnecessary for describing the present invention, such as a boot loader, OS, and application installed in the receiver, is omitted.

  When the main power supply of the receiver 1 is turned on, in S100, the system processor 13 issues a card information request command to the IC card via the IC card I / F 16 and the IC card connection terminal 22. Then, the card ID of the IC card, pay program purchase information (second content information) and the like are obtained from the IC card.

  In S101 and S102, the system processor 13 determines whether another receiver 1 is connected to the network via the network adapter 21 and the network connection terminal 25. For the determination, for example, ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol) is used. If there is a response from another receiver 1 connected to the network, the process proceeds to S103. If no response from another receiver 1 is detected, the process proceeds to S107, and the receiver 1 that is executing the processing of this flowchart becomes a master receiver (the details are the same as S109 described later, and are omitted). ).

  In S103 and S104, the system processor 13 inquires whether other connected receivers 1 are master receivers. For the inquiry, for example, message communication using SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is used. If it is a master receiver, the process proceeds from S104 to S108.

  In S108, the system processor 13 notifies the master receiver of the IC card information obtained in S100 using SMTP. The master receiver registers the information in the IC card information management table 50. Then, the process ends.

  If it is determined in S104 that the receiver is not a master receiver, in S105, the system processor 13 determines whether or not the inquiry has been completed for all the receivers 1 connected to the network (responded in S102).

  If not completed, the system processor 13 inquires the next receiver 1 in S106, and returns to S104.

  If the master receiver is not found even after repeating S104 to S105 for all the receivers 1, the process proceeds to S109, and the receiver 1 that is executing the process of this flowchart performs the process of becoming the master receiver.

  In S109, the system processor 13 creates and initializes the IC card information management table 50 in the volatile memory 15, and registers the IC card information obtained in S100.

  Next, in S110 to S113, the system processor 13 performs message communication using SMTP for all the receivers 1 connected to the network, and notifies that it has become a master receiver. Then, IC card information is obtained from all receivers 1 and registered in the IC card information management table 50 created in S109. When the processes for all the receivers 1 are completed, the process of this flowchart is terminated.

<IC card information management table display processing>
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing in which the slave receiver acquires the IC card information management table 50 from the master receiver and displays the contents thereof. The processing of this flowchart can also be executed by the master receiver. In this case, since the master receiver can acquire the IC card information management table 50 from its own volatile memory 15, communication between the receivers does not occur (the same applies to FIGS. 7 and 10 described later).

  In S120, the system processor 13 of the slave receiver sends an IC card information management table acquisition message to the master receiver using message communication using SMTP.

  In S121, the system processor 13 of the master receiver sends the IC card information management table 50 stored in the volatile memory 15 to the slave receiver using the message communication by SMTP, and the slave receiver acquires it. To do.

  In S122, the system processor 13 of the slave receiver analyzes the IC card information management table 50 acquired in S121, and generates the graphics shown in FIG. The graphics are displayed on the display device via the synthesis circuit 10, the video output circuit 11, and the video output terminal 27. Thereby, the user can know the usage status of the IC card and the purchase information of the pay program.

<Request to use IC card>
Processing for selecting an unused IC card from the slave receiver and requesting the master receiver to use the selected IC card will be described with reference to FIG.

  In S130, the user selects an unused IC card using buttons (for example, up and down buttons) on the remote controller on the display screen of the IC card information management table 50 shown in FIG. The selected IC card is highlighted as shown in FIG. 8, for example. At this time, in the slave receiver, the remote control light receiving terminal 23 receives the infrared light from the remote control, and the remote control light receiving unit 17 converts the infrared light into an electric signal and sends it to the system processor 13. Then, the system processor 13 determines the operation of the remote controller (the type of the operated button, the change in the pressed state, etc.). When the up / down button is pressed, the system processor 13 controls the OSD 18 to move the emphasized portion in FIG. 8 up and down. In order to confirm the selection, the user presses a decision button on the remote control, for example. When the system processor 13 detects that the enter button has been pressed, the process proceeds to S131.

  In S131, the system processor 13 checks the usage status of the selected IC card by referring to the IC card information management table 50 acquired in S121 of FIG. At this time, the system processor 13 refers to the status of the IC card management block corresponding to the selected IC card. If it is in use, it notifies the user that it is in use and returns to S130. The notification is performed, for example, by generating a beep sound signal from the system processor 13 and outputting a beep sound from a speaker (not shown) via the audio output circuit 9 and the audio output terminal 26 via the system bus 12. If it is not used, the process proceeds to S132. Therefore, the slave receiver selects an IC card when the receiver that is selecting the IC card to be selected does not exist other than itself (other than the broadcast receiving apparatus).

  In S132, the system processor 13 requests the user to input a password. At this time, the system processor 13 causes the OSD 18 to generate a screen for accepting the password input and display the screen on the display device. The user inputs a password using the remote control.

  The password is set in the IC card of the slave receiver that is being operated by the user. Therefore, in S133, the system processor 13 issues a password request command to the IC card to acquire the password, and collates it with the password input in S132. If the passwords do not match, the user is notified that the passwords do not match (for example, a beep sound is used), and the process returns to S132 to re-enter the password. If the passwords match, the process proceeds to S134. If the cancel button is pressed, the process ends.

  In S134, the system processor 13 of the slave receiver requests the master receiver to use the IC card selected in S130 by using message communication based on SMTP. The message includes the name of the slave receiver. When receiving the use request message, the system processor 13 of the master receiver changes the status 55 of the corresponding IC card management block in the IC card information management table 50 to be in use. Also, the name of the slave receiver notified by the message is set as the receiver name 58.

  In S135, the system processor 13 of the slave receiver requests an encryption key from the receiver loaded with the IC card selected in S130. As a result, the slave receiver can reproduce the pay program purchased with the IC card of the other receiver. Details of the process in S135 will be described with reference to FIG. Here, the receiver that made the request is called receiver A, and the receiver that received the request is called receiver B.

  The demultiplexer A-7 of the receiver A acquires TS A-101 including the broadcast program (content) selected by the user. The user selects a broadcast program at the same time as selecting an IC card on the screen shown in FIG. When an IC card is selected, the status 55 of the corresponding IC card management block becomes “1: in use”. Therefore, the status 55 functions as information indicating whether or not there is a receiver that is selecting the content indicated by the pay program management table 60 (content information). Further, the notification in S134 can be interpreted as a slave receiver (first broadcast receiving apparatus) notifying the master receiver that the content to be reproduced has been selected. By this notification, the master receiver detects that the slave receiver (first broadcast receiving apparatus) has selected the content purchased by the master receiver or any of the slave receivers (second broadcast receiving apparatus). Can do.

  Receiver A requests receiver B to acquire the same as TS A-101 as TS B-101. As described above, TS A-101 and TS B-101 are obtained when a receiver receives a broadcast wave and performs processing such as conversion and demodulation.

  TS A-101 and TS B-101 are multiplexed with control information such as SI / PSI and video, audio, and data broadcasts of programs. SI is an abbreviation for Service Information, and includes various information defined for the convenience of program selection. PSI is an abbreviation for Program Specific Information, and includes program specifying information necessary for selecting a desired program.

  The demultiplexer A-7 of the receiver A separates ES A-102 (video ES, audio ES, and data broadcast ES) multiplexed in TS A-101.

  The demultiplexer B-7 of the receiver B separates the SI / PSI multiplexed in the TS B-101.

  First, the process of extracting the encryption key of the program by the receiver B will be described first, and then the process of the receiver A decrypting the video, audio, and data broadcast of the program using the encryption key extracted by the receiver B Will be explained.

  There are multiple types of SI / PSI for the purpose of use, and since a unique number table ID is added for each type of SI / PSI, what is necessary for processing at that time is filtered using the table ID. Can be extracted.

  Here, since the encryption key is acquired based on the contract information (purchase history), the EMM (Entlement Management Message) and the ECM (Entiment Control Message) are extracted from the SI / PSI.

  The EMM B-104 extracted by the demultiplexer B-7 of the receiver B includes individual information including contract information for each subscriber and a work key for decrypting the common information.

  When a “card ID information acquisition” request is issued from the IC card I / F B-16 to the IC card B-100, a card ID (a unique number or symbol assigned in advance to the IC card installed in the receiver) is obtained. Returned (not shown).

  Since the EMM includes work key information and the like for each contracted card ID, filtering is performed by the card ID, and a portion corresponding to the IC card B-100 is extracted from the IC card I / F B-16.

  The IC card B-100 stores a unique master key B-110 for each IC card, and uses this to decrypt the work key information of the individual information of the EMM (B-108), and the work key B-109. Can be obtained.

  Next, since the ECM B-105 extracted by the demultiplexer B-7 includes common information including information related to the program and key information for decrypting the program, the IC card I / F B -16 to send to IC card B-100.

  In the IC card B-100, the encryption key information of the program of the ECM B-105 is decrypted using the work key B-109 (B-107), and the scramble key B-106 is obtained. Therefore, the IC card B-100 returns the scramble key B-106 to the receiver B.

  The encryption circuit B-19 of the receiver B encrypts the scramble key B-106 and sends it to the receiver A via the network adapter B-21 and the network connection terminal B-25.

  Next, the receiver A receives the scramble key B-106 encrypted by the receiver B via the network connection terminal A-25 and the network adapter A-21. Then, the encrypted scramble key is decrypted by the encryption circuit A-19 to obtain a decrypted scramble key. Using this scramble key, the receiver A decrypts the ES A-102 separated by the demultiplexer A-7.

  As described above, the contract information is determined by the EMM, and if the contract is made, the EMM and the ECM can be sent to the IC card to obtain the ES (program video, audio, data broadcast) encryption key. This encryption key is transmitted to another receiver connected to the network. Therefore, the receiver according to the present embodiment can reproduce the pay broadcast using the encryption key acquired by another receiver.

<Purchase program purchase processing>
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of pay program purchase processing by the slave receiver. As will be described below, the slave receiver inquires of the master receiver whether or not the pay program can be purchased, and if so, performs the actual purchase. This prevents the same program from being purchased in duplicate by a plurality of receivers. 10, steps in which the same processing as in FIG. 5 is performed are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

  Since acquisition of program information (SI data EIT: Event Information Table) and storage method are not directly related to the present invention, description thereof is omitted, and it is assumed that program information is stored in the nonvolatile memory 14.

  In S140, the system processor 13 of the slave receiver extracts the program information from the nonvolatile memory 14 and creates a program guide using the OSD 18.

  In S143, the system processor 13 refers to the IC card information management table 50 acquired in S121, and checks the pay program purchase information for the time zone and channel included in the program table created in S140. In addition, as shown by reference numeral 1101 in FIG. 11, that fact is displayed for a pay program, and as shown by reference numeral 1102, which IC card has a purchase history for a purchased pay program. indicate.

  In S144, the user selects a predetermined program in the program guide using the remote controller (for example, using the up / down / left / right buttons). The program being selected is highlighted as shown by hatching in FIG. When confirming the selection, the user presses a decision button, for example. When the system processor 13 detects that the enter button is pressed, the process proceeds to S145.

  In S145, the system processor 13 extracts information corresponding to the selected program from the program information stored in the nonvolatile memory 14 and checks whether it is a pay program. If it is a pay program, the process proceeds to S146; otherwise, the user is notified that the selected program is not a pay program (for example, using a beep sound), and the process returns to S144. Further, even if it is a pay program, if it has already been purchased (that is, a pay program included in the pay program management table 60), the process returns to S144. Furthermore, if an operation cancel (for example, a state transition instruction such as pressing a cancel button, a channel selection instruction, or power-off) occurs in S144, the process of this flowchart ends in S145.

  In S146, the system processor 13 generates and displays a screen prompting the input of a password by the OSD 18 as shown in FIG. The password is input by the user using the remote control.

  The password is set in the IC card of the slave receiver that is being operated by the user. Therefore, in S147, the system processor 13 issues a password request command to the IC card to acquire the password, and collates it with the password input in S146. If the passwords do not match, the user is notified that the passwords do not match (for example, a beep sound is used), and the process returns to S146 to re-enter the password. If the passwords match, the process proceeds to S148. If the key operation is canceled, the process is terminated.

  In S148, the system processor 13 notifies the pay program purchase command to the IC card via the IC card I / F 16. Purchase of a pay program is performed by transmitting a request to a transmission source of a broadcast signal using the modem 20, for example. The slave receiver that purchased the purchase of the pay program can acquire the encryption key for decrypting the program (content) from the broadcast signal.

  In S149, the system processor 13 notifies the master receiver that a pay program has been purchased by the slave receiver using message communication using SMTP. When the system processor 13 of the master receiver receives the message from the slave receiver, the pay program management table 60 referred to by the IC card management block pointer 59 corresponding to the IC card of the slave receiver in the IC card information management table 50. Update.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, a plurality of receivers are connected via a network, one of which operates as a master receiver and the rest operate as slave receivers. The master receiver manages information related to the IC cards of all receivers in the network. Each receiver can acquire, via the network, an encryption key for reproducing a pay program purchased with an IC card of another receiver, using information managed by the master receiver.

  Thereby, in the limited reception method, the burden on the viewer when changing the receiver used for viewing the program is reduced.

[Other Examples]
In order to realize the functions of the above-described embodiments, a recording medium in which a program code of software embodying each function is recorded may be provided to the system or apparatus. Then, the function of each embodiment described above is realized by the computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus reading and executing the program code stored in the recording medium. In this case, the program code itself read from the recording medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the recording medium on which the program code is recorded constitutes the present invention. As a recording medium for supplying such a program code, for example, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or the like can be used. Alternatively, a CD-ROM, CD-R, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, ROM, or the like can be used.

  The configuration for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments is not limited to executing the program code read by the computer. Including the case where the OS (operating system) running on the computer performs part or all of the actual processing based on the instruction of the program code, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing. It is.

  Further, the program code read from the recording medium may be written in a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer. Thereafter, the CPU of the function expansion board or function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing based on the instruction of the program code, and the functions of the above-described embodiments may be realized by the processing. Is included.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration of a receiver according to the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the IC card information management table which concerns on Example 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the name registration screen of the receiver which concerns on Example 1. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a processing flow when the main power supply of the receiver according to the first embodiment is first turned on. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process which a slave receiver acquires an IC card information management table from a master receiver, and displays the content. It is a figure which shows the screen which visualized the IC card information management table. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process which selects the unused IC card from a slave receiver, and requests | requires use of the selected IC card with respect to a master receiver. It is a figure which shows a mode that an IC card is selected in the screen which visualized the IC card information management table. It is a figure explaining the detail of the process in S135 of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the purchase processing of the pay program by a slave receiver. It is a figure which shows the program schedule which the receiver which concerns on Example 1 displays. It is a figure which shows the screen for a user to select a pay program and to input a password.

Claims (10)

A broadcast receiving device that can communicate with a management device and other broadcast receiving devices and receives a broadcast signal,
Acquisition means for acquiring content information indicating content that can be decrypted using an encryption key that can be acquired from the broadcast signal by the other broadcast receiving device from the management device;
Selecting means for selecting content to be reproduced from the content indicated by the content information;
Receiving means for acquiring the selected content from the broadcast signal and receiving an encryption key capable of decrypting the selected content from the other broadcast receiving device;
Playback means for decrypting and playing back the received content using the received encryption key;
A broadcast receiving apparatus comprising: The acquisition means further acquires information indicating whether there is a broadcast receiving device that is selecting the content indicated by the content information other than the broadcast receiving device,
The broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selection unit performs the selection when there is no broadcast receiving apparatus that is selecting the content indicated by the content information other than the broadcast receiving apparatus. Requesting means for requesting the broadcast signal transmission source so that the broadcast receiving apparatus can acquire the encryption key for decrypting the predetermined content from the broadcast signal;
The broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the request unit makes the request when the predetermined content is not included in the content indicated by the content information. The broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selection unit notifies the management apparatus that the content to be reproduced has been selected. Notification means for notifying the management device of second content information indicating content that can be decrypted by the broadcast receiving device using an encryption key obtainable from the broadcast signal;
Obtaining means for obtaining, from the broadcast signal, an encryption key for decrypting the content selected by the other broadcast receiving device from the content indicated by the second content information;
Transmitting means for transmitting the acquired encryption key to the other broadcast receiving device;
The broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: A management device capable of communicating with a plurality of broadcast receiving devices,
Acquisition means for acquiring content information indicating content that can be decrypted by using an encryption key that can be acquired from a broadcast signal by each of the plurality of broadcast receiving devices;
Transmitting means for transmitting the acquired content information to the broadcast receiving apparatus that has requested the acquired content information among the plurality of broadcast receiving apparatuses;
A management apparatus comprising: Detection that detects that the first broadcast receiving device of the plurality of broadcast receiving devices has selected the content to be reproduced from the content indicated by the content information acquired from the second broadcast receiving device of the plurality of broadcast receiving devices. Further comprising means,
The management device according to claim 6, wherein the transmission unit further transmits information indicating that there is a broadcast receiving device that is selecting the content indicated by the content information acquired from the second broadcast receiving device. .   The broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 1, comprising the management apparatus according to claim 6 or 7 as the management apparatus. A control method of a broadcast receiving apparatus that is communicable with a management apparatus and other broadcast receiving apparatuses and receives broadcast signals,
An acquisition step of acquiring content information indicating content that can be decrypted using an encryption key that can be acquired from the broadcast signal by the other broadcast receiving device from the management device;
A selection step of selecting content to be reproduced from the content indicated by the content information;
A receiving step of receiving the selected content from the broadcast signal and receiving an encryption key capable of decrypting the selected content from the other broadcast receiving device;
A reproduction step of decrypting and reproducing the received content using the received encryption key;
A control method comprising: A control method of a management device capable of communicating with a plurality of broadcast receiving devices,
An acquisition step of acquiring content information indicating content that can be decrypted using an encryption key that can be acquired from a broadcast signal by each of the plurality of broadcast reception devices, from each of the plurality of broadcast reception devices;
A transmitting step of transmitting the acquired content information to the broadcast receiving device that has requested the acquired content information among the plurality of broadcast receiving devices;
A control method comprising:

Images