Importance

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Abstract

A service methodology for time based availability to content, such as, movies, music, games, information and the like, provisioned on a storage medium whereby revenue may be generated for premier and pay-per-use access to the content. The service is manifested by the combination of a video disk reader, controller and authorization center. A service provider, for instance, locks up a movie on a video disk for which a premier event viewing date and time may be defined and which the provider may then directly distribute, in advance of the premier event, to potential consumers. Each consumer may purchase the right to view the movie once for a certain fee, for example $5.00, through online access from the controller to the authorization center, but the single viewing will only be allowed by the controller on or after the premier event. Thereafter, the consumer pays for viewing of the movie on a pay-per-use basis or over a defined window of time, perhaps for reduced fee, such as $1.00. Moreover, the online authorization process makes it possible to track consumer preferences at the authorization center, and as an alternative to the online payment processing, smart cards may be utilized for such.

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