Methods and apparatus for monitoring and/or collecting viewership statistics

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for collecting program viewership information are described. A viewership monitoring module is provided access to decrypted program content allowing program information to be recovered without having to capture output program content using a microphone or camera. The monitoring module is loaded onto a secure device, e.g., a home network device, such as a router used to deliver content to a secure playback device. Alternatively the secure device which performs the monitoring maybe the secure playback device. Since a user of the secure device or a company implementing the viewership monitoring process loads the monitoring module onto the secure device, the network used to deliver the secure content need not be informed of which network customers are contributing to the viewership information which is being collected.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of collecting presentation information, comprising:
 operating a secure device in a home network to decrypt encrypted program content to produce decrypted digital program content;   operating the secure device to process the decrypted digital program content to recover information identifying the program content; and   generating viewership statistics from the recovered information identifying the program content and viewer number information corresponding to a secure playback device coupled to said secure device.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving, at the secure device, viewer number information from the secure playback device; and   wherein generating viewership information includes using the received viewer number information in combination with the recovered information identifying the program content.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein said secure playback device is a content playback device to which encrypted program content is delivered. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising:
 communicating the generated viewership statistics to a viewership information server.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein receiving viewer number information includes
 operating said secure device to receive information indicating a number of viewers to which decrypted content generated from said encrypted program content is being output.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 3 ,
 wherein said secure device is a router in a home network; and   wherein receiving viewer number information includes receiving input indicating a number of viewers corresponding to the secure playback device to which said router supplies said encrypted program content or re-encrypted program content generated from said decrypted digital program content.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 re-encrypting said decrypted digital program content;   supplying said re-encrypted program content to the secure playback device via a home network;   operating the secure playback device to generate program content by decrypting said re-encrypted program content; and   operating the secure playback device to output said program content to an output device.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein said re-encryption uses security information known to the secure playback device, said re-encryption using different security information than encryption used to generate said received encrypted program content. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 3 ,
 wherein said secure device is a secure playback device; and   wherein receiving viewer number information includes receiving information indicating a number of users viewing the output of said playback device and the age of the individual users.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 ,
 wherein said secure playback device is a portable playback device including one of a cell phone and a tablet device; and   wherein the method further comprises:   loading a viewership monitoring module onto said secure playback device in response to a user input.   
     
     
         11 . A secure device, comprising:
 a decryption module configured to decrypt encrypted program content to produce decrypted digital program content;   a processing module configured to process the decrypted digital program content to recover information identifying the program content; and   a viewership monitoring module configured to generate viewership statistics from the recovered information identifying the program content and viewer number information corresponding to a secure playback device coupled to said secure device.   
     
     
         12 . The secure device of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 a receiver configured to receive viewer number information from the secure playback device; and   wherein said viewership monitoring module generates said viewership information using the received viewer number information in combination with the recovered information identifying the program content.   
     
     
         13 . The secure device of  claim 12 , wherein said secure playback device is a content playback device to which encrypted program content is delivered. 
     
     
         14 . The secure device of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 a transmitter configured to communicate the generated viewership statistics to a viewership information server.   
     
     
         15 . The secure device of  claim 12 ,
 wherein said receiver is further configured to receive, as part of receiving viewer number information, information indicating a number of viewers to which decrypted content generated from said encrypted program content is being output.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 ,
 wherein said secure device is a router in a home network; and   wherein said receiver is further configured to receive, as part of receiving viewer number information, input indicating a number of viewers corresponding to the secure playback device to which said router supplies said encrypted program content or re-encrypted program content generated from said decrypted digital program content.   
     
     
         17 . The secure device of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 an encryption module configured to re-encrypt said decrypted digital program content;   a supply control module configured to supply said re-encrypted program content to the secure playback device via a home network;   wherein said secure playback device includes a second decryption module configured to generate program content by decrypting said re-encrypted program content; and   wherein said secure playback device includes a presentation control module configured to output said program content to an output device.   
     
     
         18 . The secure device of  claim 17 , wherein said encryption module uses security information known to the secure playback device, said re-encryption using different security information than encryption used to generate said received encrypted program content. 
     
     
         19 . The secure device of  claim 13 ,
 wherein said secure device is a secure playback device; and   wherein said receiver is further configured to receive, as part of receiving viewer number information, information indicating a number of users viewing the output of said playback device and the age of the individual users.   
     
     
         20 . The secure device of  claim 19 ,
 wherein said secure playback device is a portable playback device including one of a cell phone and a tablet device; and   wherein said secure device further comprises a control module for controlling loading of a viewership monitoring module onto said secure playback device in response to a user input.