SECURE MULTIMEDIA COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM

A system and method for securely communicating multimedia information. The system includes a headend system (11), one or more distribution systems (12) and multiple customer interface devices (14). The headend (11) receives multimedia information signals from one or more content sources and user authorization information corresponding to multiple end users, combines the multimedia information signals into a composite signal and generates a secure headend output signal. The signal distribution systems (12) include a signal splitter for dividing the headend output signal into a plurality of service signals, several signal decoders for converting the service signals into modulated channel signals if authorized by the user authorization information and several output interfaces for combining the modulated channel signals into a composite user signal. Each customer interface device (14) receives a corresponding composite user signal, and divides and demodulates the signal into end user signals for use by the end user.