Patent ID: 8374346

Claim:
A method comprising: pre-authenticating a receiving device by a transmitting device, wherein the receiving device receives a data stream from the transmitting device via a main data path; associating a main High-Definition Content Protection (HDCP) engine with a main port in the main data path, the main port serving as an active data port, wherein the main HDCP engine include a main decipher processing engine and is coupled to a roving HDCP engine; and associating the roving HDCP engine with a plurality of roving ports in a roving data path, each of the plurality of roving ports associated with a memory pipe having state information relating to each of the plurality of roving ports, the state information being used to pre-authenticate the receiving device and the plurality of roving ports such that each roving port serves as a pre-authenticated backup data port that is ready to replace the main port without having to be authenticated, wherein the roving HDCP engine includes a roving decipher processing engine.