Patent ID: 8151108

Claim:
A method comprising: establishing a secure channel to enable access to switched video service on a media server computer using a bridge component between the media server and a switched video network; initiating a connection with an interpreter device before the secure channel can be established, the interpreter device configured to interpret messages between a set of one or more tuners coupled to the media server and a network node that allocates switched video channels from a network, wherein initiating the connection includes sending an initialization request to the interpreter device; receiving an initialization response from the interpreter device; notifying a tuner of the set of turners that the interpreter device is available for switched video service; receiving a challenge request from the interpreter device; relaying the challenge request to the tuner of the set of tuners without altering an authenticated payload of the challenge request; receiving a challenge response from the tuner; relaying the challenge response to the interpreter device without altering an authenticated payload of the challenge response, wherein each tuner of the set of tuners includes a unique certificate for authentication, wherein the challenge response includes the tuner's unique certificate and a corresponding public key; receiving an encrypted secret session key from the interpreter device in response to the relayed challenge response, the interpreter device having previously validated the tuner's certificate in the challenge response and encrypted the secret session key using the corresponding public key; and relaying the encrypted secret session key to the tuner without altering an authenticated payload of the encrypted secret session key, wherein once the encrypted secret session key is received by the tuner the secure channel of communications is established between the tuner and the interpreter device so that the tuner can properly send authenticated tune requests, wherein the secret session key is a keyed-hash message authentication code (HMAC) key, and wherein the interpreter device is a Tuning Resolver and each tuner of the set of tuners is an OpenCable Unidirectional receiver (OCUR) device incapable of direct communications with the network node.