OVERVIEW

Content is a generic term that we use to describe video and audio programming. Without content, a video network would have nothing to transport. In most cases, the companies and individuals who want to view content need to purchase the rights to do so from the companies and individuals who produce and own the content. Usually, these rights are limited in some way to a specific number of broadcasts, over a defined period of time, to a certain number of views/down-loads, or to any other limit that the content owners and users agree. These rights are usually spelled out in detail in a contract (a license) between the parties.

Enforcing these contracts is the responsibility of the content user or distributor (such as a satellite broadcaster, CATV/DSL broadband provider, or end-user corporation). The user is responsible for ensuring that unauthorized copies of the content are not made and that the rights defined in the contract are enforced. The penalties for not doing so can be severe large financial penalties and often the loss of access to content in the future from that supplier. So, it is quite important for any content user or distributor to ensure that the content is stored securely and viewed only in a manner permitted by the content owner.

In this chapter, we are going to look at managing content, including where to get it and the responsibilities that come with it. Then, we'll discuss some ways to protect the content from unauthorized copying, or at least...