Patent ID: 8291445
Filing Date: 2012-10-16
Classification: H04H,H04N

Abstract:
1. A system comprising: a content provider subsystem configured to provide streaming video content over a closed media network and an open network based on a user profile associated with a user, the user profile indicating the streaming video content available to the user over the closed media network and the open network, wherein at least a subset of the streaming video content provided over the closed media network is also provided over the open network, and wherein the streaming video content provided over the closed media network is encoded in accordance with a first format and the at least a subset of the streaming video content provided over the open media network is encoded in accordance with a second format; and a user access subsystem configured to communicatively connect to the closed media network and the open network, the user access subsystem configured to access the streaming video content over the closed media network and the open network and to process and provide at least a component of the accessed streaming video content for presentation to a user, wherein the user access subsystem includes a content processing device configured to decode the streaming video content accessed over the closed media network, and an expansion content processing device configured to communicatively connect to the content processing device by a local communication link and configured to decode the streaming video content accessed over the open network, wherein the expansion content processing device stores user profile information configured to function as a key for use by the content processing device to gain access to the user profile associated with the user and to the streaming video content indicated by the user profile as available to the user, wherein the content processing device, absent the local communication link to the expansion content processing device, is incapable of gaining access to the streaming video content indicated by the user profile as available to the user, wherein the content processing device utilizes the user profile information stored in the expansion content processing device to access the user profile associated with the user and gain access to the streaming video content indicated by the user profile as available to the user, wherein the content processing device receives the at least a subset of the streaming video content over the open network without the at least a subset of the streaming video content passing through the expansion content processing device, detects an inability of the content processing device to decode the at least a subset of the streaming video content received over the open network, and transmits the at least a subset of the streaming video content received over the open network to the expansion content processing device for decoding, wherein the expansion content processing device receives and decodes the at least a subset of the streaming video content transmitted by the content processing device and loops the decoded at least a subset of the streaming video content back to the content processing device, wherein the content processing device provides at least a subset of the streaming video content to a first output device, and wherein the expansion content processing device provides at least a subset of the streaming video content to a second output device, different from the first output device, wherein the content processing device comprises a set-top box, and wherein the expansion content processing device is implemented as a remote control user input device configured to enable the user to provide user input to control the content processing device.