Set-Top Box Investigations

TAEUS has performed dozens of analyses relating to set-top box technology over its 25-year history. As the technology has advance the investigation techniques have changed, and the challenges have multiplied. TAEUS employs hundreds of subject matter experts (SMEs) to perform the patent analysis and reverse engineering that our clients require.

We rely on our SMEs to understand the state-of-the-art in their specialties and be ready to tackle any challenge that our clients come to us with. With the advent of digital media streaming, STB technology in particular has seen considerable advances to provide consumers with the best possible entertainment experience. TAEUS has been approached several times in the last year to investigate modern STB systems. The investigations were all unique as they related to specific sets of patents and systems.

Our SMEs were ready for the challenge in each case and have been able to perform the necessary investigations. The approach for each analysis employed techniques ranging from detailed documentation reviews and functional testing to detailed reverse engineering and software code analysis. Every patent investigation requires a customized approach to answer specific question or questions that are of interest to the patents at hand.

A recent TAEUS investigation looked at digital rights management and encryption as they pertain to streaming media from a STB to different viewing equipment within a network. The TAEUS SME first had to understand the equipment involved at the patent subject matter before a custom approach could be devised. The connections between the STB, television and mobile devices often rely upon a network connection. This required an in-depth understanding of Wifi network communications as well to answer the questions at-hand. The SME was able to perform an analysis of the entire system to investigate the patent subject matter.

This particular analysis had a favorable outcome and resulted in the development of new investigation techniques that will likely be applicable to future investigations. The TAEUS business model not only provides actionable results, it breeds innovation. The knowledge base of our team grows with every investigation and allows us to better serve our clients in the future.