Patent ID: 8117324

Claim:
A set top box comprising: a first connection to a network configured to receive content from the network; a second connection for sending a signal to a television; and a remote resource manager within the set top box configured to: detect a hardware resource; send information about the detected hardware resource including configuration information of the detected hardware resource to equipment of a service provider at a remote location from the set top box to enable the equipment of the service provider to detect a disparity between the information about the detected hardware resource and expected information about the set top box, wherein the configuration information comprises a number of storage devices at the set top box and a size for each of the storage devices at the set top box; and receive from the equipment of the service provider an operating instruction instructing the set top box to perform at least one of modifying, disabling, or fail to use an unauthorized hardware resource responsive to the equipment of the service provider detecting the unauthorized hardware resource in the set-top box, wherein when the detected hardware resource is of a greater capacity than indicated by an initial subscription level, the operating instructions limits access to additional capacity of the hardware resource, and when a higher subscription level is purchased, the operating instruction grants greater access to the hardware resource.