Abstract: In one embodiment, a method of generating an electronic program guide for a user of an entertainment system is disclosed. The method includes retrieving, by a user computer in communication with the entertainment system, preference criteria corresponding to one or more user preferences describing payment requirements. The user computer receives a plurality of content listings, each content listing comprising a content title, an indication of a content source, and a payment requirement, and a search query including a content title. The user computer also identifies a subset of the plurality of content listings based on content title and the search query, and ranks each content listing in the subset based on a comparison of the preference criteria and the payment requirement of each content listing in the subset. A content entry in the electronic program guide is created comprising each content listing in the subset in ranked order.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method of generating an electronic program guide for a user of an entertainment system is disclosed. The method includes retrieving, by a user computer in communication with the entertainment system, preference criteria corresponding to one or more user preferences describing payment requirements. The user computer receives a plurality of content listings, each content listing comprising a content title, an indication of a content source, and a payment requirement, and a search query including a content title. The user computer also identifies a subset of the plurality of content listings based on content title and the search query, and ranks each content listing in the subset based on a comparison of the preference criteria and the payment requirement of each content listing in the subset. A content entry in the electronic program guide is created comprising each content listing in the subset in ranked order.

Abstract: An apparatus for and method of distributing and reproducing infrared signals within a digital network is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a control unit for digitizing a received infrared signal command from a wireless remote and transmitting the digitized signal over the digital network. The apparatus also-comprises at least one transceiver device coupled to the network and identified by the control unit to receive the digitized signal and reproduce the infrared signal as originally received. The transceiver device can provide the reproduced infrared signal to at least one electronic device located within a vicinity of the transceiver device.

Abstract: An apparatus and method of distributing media content from a plurality of source devices to a plurality of remotely located display devices within a home network. A first management unit is assigned to control a first source stream and first display stream. A second management unit is assigned to control a second source stream and a second display stream. The first source stream and the first display stream are subsequently assigned to the second management unit if the first management unit fails. Alternatively, the second source stream and the second display stream are subsequently assigned to the first management unit if the second management unit fails. The apparatus and method can include a plurality of management units, each unit assigned to control at least one of the source streams and one of the display streams.

Abstract: The preferred embodiments of the present invention are directed to systems and methods for centralizing the scheduling of multiple tuners for recording content from various sources. In accordance with the preferred embodiment, a universal network tuner is created whereby the tuning capabilities of each networked device within a given geography (e.g., all of the consumer electronics and computers within a household) are aggregated at a central location from which a user may interact with a graphical user interface (“GUI”) to control, view, and schedule programming available to any any/all of the tuners within the system.

Abstract: Another aspect of the present invention is directed to system and a method that encodes a single input media stream into two or more output media streams having one or more different encoding characteristics. In one embodiment, one of the encoding characteristics which is different in the two or more output streams is the bandwidth of the encoding. In another embodiment, the different characteristic is the format of the encoding. In yet another embodiment the different characteristic is the computational complexity of the encoding. In a further development, computations which are common to the encoding process in each format may be found. The common computations may be performed only once. Once the common computations are performed in the context of encoding a media stream to a first format, the results of the common computations may be saved and used for encoding the media stream in other formats.

Abstract: An apparatus and method of distributing media content from a hardware input device to a hardware output device, located remotely from each other, in a home network, is disclosed. A control unit receives a user input and converts it to a control signal. An encoder device is coupled to the input device and a decoder device is coupled to the output device. The encoder device and the decoder device each receive the control signal. The encoder device digitally encodes an analog signal from the input device and transmits the encoded signal over the network to the decoder device. The decoder device translates the encoded signal into a decoded signal suitable for the output device.

Abstract: An apparatus for and method of distributing and reproducing infrared signals within a digital network is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a control unit for digitizing a received infrared signal command from a wireless remote and transmitting the digitized signal over the digital network. The apparatus also-comprises at least one transceiver device coupled to the network and identified by the control unit to receive the digitized signal and reproduce the infrared signal as originally received. The transceiver device can provide the reproduced infrared signal to at least one electronic device located within a vicinity of the transceiver device.

Abstract: An apparatus and method of distributing media content from a hardware input device to a hardware output device, located remotely from each other, in a home network, is disclosed. A control unit receives a user input and converts it to a control signal. An encoder device is coupled to the input device and a decoder device is coupled to the output device. The encoder device and the decoder device each receive the control signal. The encoder device digitally encodes an analog signal from the input device and transmits the encoded signal over the network to the decoder device. The decoder device translates the encoded signal into a decoded signal suitable for the output device.

Abstract: An apparatus for and method of distributing and reproducing infrared signals within a digital network is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a control unit for digitizing a received infrared signal command from a wireless remote and transmitting the digitized signal over the digital network. The apparatus also comprises at least one transceiver device coupled to the network and identified by the control unit to receive the digitized signal and reproduce the infrared signal as originally received. The transceiver device can provide the reproduced infrared signal to at least one electronic device located within a vicinity of the transceiver device.

Abstract: An apparatus and method of distributing media content from a plurality of source devices to a plurality of remotely located display devices within a home network. A first management unit is assigned to control a first source stream and first display stream. A second management unit is assigned to control a second source stream and a second display stream. The first source stream and the first display stream are subsequently assigned to the second management unit if the first management unit fails. Alternatively, the second source stream and the second display stream are subsequently assigned to the first management unit if the second management unit fails. The apparatus and method can include a plurality of management units, each unit assigned to control at least one of the source streams and one of the display streams.