CONTENT SELECTION AND OUTPUT

• US 20090320065A1
• Filed: 06/23/2008
• Published: 12/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Barrett, Peter T., Mettifogo, Gionata, Sloo, David H.
• Application Number:
  US12/144,609
• Publication Number:
  US 20090320065A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/37
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72

Abstract

Content selection and output techniques are described. In an implementation, a user interface is output at a client device that provides for selection of television content via a website for output on a television. A communication is formed to be communicated to the website based on interaction with the user interface to cause the television content to be output by the television automatically and without user intervention.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

outputting a user interface at a client device that provides for selection of television content via a website for output on another client device; and

forming a communication to be communicated to the website based on interaction with the user interface to cause the television content to be output by the other client device automatically and without user intervention.

2. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the other client device is not configured to output the user interface.

3. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the television content is to be output by the other client device automatically and without user intervention such that the television content is output without receiving an input by a user through the other client device by tuning to a particular channel.

4. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the television content is to be output by the other client device automatically and without user intervention such that the television content selected via the user interface is streamed to the other client device and not other television content that was not selected via the user interface.

5. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the user interface is output by the client device via a web browser.

6. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a listing of a plurality of other client devices that are accessible via the user interface to cause the television content selected via the user interface to be output.

7. The method as described in claim 6, wherein the user interface is configured to output the listing of a plurality of other client devices to select particular said of the client devices to output the television content.

8. The method as described in claim 6, further comprising registering each of the plurality of other client devices to be selectable via the user interface provided by the website.

9. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the communication causes the website to cause the television content to be output by the other client device such that local control of selection of television content at the other client device is overridden.

10. The method as described in claim 9, wherein the local control of the selection of the television content at the other client device is overridden such that the other client device is prevented from changing channels.

11. A client device comprising:

one or more modules to output a user interface, to be displayed on a display device and that was obtained from a particular website via a browser, which is configured receive one or more inputs to;

select one or more of a plurality of client devices; and

select content to be streamed to the selected one or more client devices such that the selected content is to override local content selection at the one or more client devices.

12. A client device as described in claim 11, wherein the particular website is associated with a head end that is to stream the selected content to the selected one or more client devices.

13. A client device as described in claim 11, wherein the selected one or more client devices do not include the client device that output the user interface.

14. A client device as described in claim 11, wherein at least one of the selected one or more client devices is not configured to output the user interface.

15. A client device as described in claim 11, wherein the local content selection is overridden such that at least one of the selected one or more client devices is not permitted to output content other than the selected content until output of the selected content has been completed.

16. A client device comprising one or more modules to:

receive one or more inputs to locally select content; and

detect a notification that is to cause;

the local selection of the content to be overridden; and

output of content selected by another client device via a website.

17. A client device as described in claim 16, wherein the local selection of the content is overridden such that content output when the notification is detected is replaced by the content selected by the other client device.

18. A client device as described in claim 16, wherein the local selection of the content is overridden until output of the content selected by the other client device is completed.

19. A client device as described in claim 16, wherein the local selection of the content is overridden such that the content selected by the other client device is output automatically without user selection by the one or more modules without receiving one or more inputs from a user.

20. A client device as described in claim 16, wherein the local selection of the content is overridden such that the content selected by the other client device is output automatically without user selection of a channel that is used to stream the content.