Patent ID: 7146007
Filing Date: 2006-12-05
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. A set-top box comprising: a bus; a first connection, a second connection and a third connection separate from said bus; a front-end device coupled to said bus and comprising a first tuner adapted to receive broadcast digital signals comprising audio and video content; a point of deployment (POD) coupled to said front-end device and adapted to receive a smart card, said smart card plugged into said POD; a first functional block coupled to said bus and also directly connected to said front-end device via said first connection, said first functional block adapted to descramble said digital signals if said digital signals are scrambled and to encrypt said digital signals if said digital signals are unencrypted; an integrated circuit device coupled to said bus and also directly connected to said first functional block via said second connection, said integrated circuit device comprising a second functional block and a decryption engine integrated therein, wherein said digital signals from said front-end device are received by said decryption engine only via said first connection, said first functional block and said second connection; wherein said decryption engine is configured to decrypt said digital signals received by said integrated circuit device and supply decrypted digital signals to said second functional block, wherein there are no points between said front-end device and said first functional block nor between said first functional block and said second functional block at which said digital signals are both descrambled and unencrypted; and a third functional block coupled to said bus and also directly connected to said integrated circuit via said third connection, said third functional block adapted for graphics processing of said digital signals received from said integrated circuit device only via said third connection.