Abstract: A method for distributing multimedia content provides a wireless controller communicatively coupled to each of a multimedia source and a destination. The wireless controller is adapted to perform the steps of communicating with the multimedia source to generate a first display of a plurality of multimedia works available from the multimedia source, facilitating a selection of at least one multimedia work from the first display of the plurality of multimedia works, and upon the selection being made by a user, commanding the multimedia source to send the at least one multimedia work as the streaming multimedia data to the destination.

Abstract: A telephone answering machine having solid state storage of an outgoing announcement (OGA) is improved by magnetic tape apparatus 120 for providing backup protection of the OGA in the event of a power failure. Also stored on the magnetic tape is the time duration of the OGA. Analog to digital conversion of the OGA, for storage in Dynamic Random Access Memories 210, 220 and 230, proceeds at a sampling rate that is inversely proportional to the time duration of the OGA to assure that the available memory space is fully utilized.