Mobile information apparatus (e.g., smart phone, Internet appliance, information pad) and software applications of the mobile information apparatus supporting voice commands for receiving and playing digital content from a service provided over a network (e.g., Internet) are herein disclosed and enabled. The mobile information apparatus may establish a wireless local area network connection, and receive, via a touch sensitive screen interface, authentication information to access a service over the Internet. The service may be a subscribed service. While connected to the service, the mobile information apparatus may receive voice commands from a user for outputting or playing digital content that is available at the service, and, in response to the voice commands, the mobile information apparatus receives, from the service, output data related to the digital content for outputting or playing at an output device associated with the mobile information apparatus.

Embodiments are disclosed for mapping a networked system. In one example, a control device in a system includes a communication interface coupled to a plurality of devices via a network, a processor, and a storage device storing instructions executable by the processor to transmit a command via the network to the plurality of devices connected to the network, and command the devices to send, via an analog communication interface, an analog message from each device output that is connected to an associated input of another device in the system including information about the output device and output port. The instructions are further executable to determine and map each connected device in the system to an associated device input of another device based on the received analog message for that device output, and, for each mapped device, transmit device data to the device including information about analog connections of the device.

According to one embodiment, an electronic apparatus capable of communicating with a second electronic apparatus of a first user, the electronic apparatus, the electronic apparatus includes a receiver, electronic circuitry, a speaker and a transmitter. The electronic circuitry configured to determine whether the sound of the second user is output by the electronic apparatus or the second electronic apparatus, using at least one of an image of around the first user and sound of around the first user. The speaker configured to output the sound of the second user, is output by the electronic apparatus. The transmitter configured to transmit the signal of the sound of the second user to the second electronic apparatus, is output by the second electronic apparatus.

A solution for transferring audiovisual data between devices is provided. A device, for example a guest device, wishes to transfer audiovisual data to a device in a host local network. The guest device connects to a server in a wide area network via the host local network. The guest device selects, via its connection to the server and from a list, provided by the server, of devices in the host local network, a device present in the host local network. The guest device retrieves via the list connection parameters for transferring audiovisual data to the selected device. The guest device connects to the selected device in the host local network using the retrieved connection parameters and transfers audiovisual data to the selected device.

A distribution destination specifying device includes: a related information obtaining portion that obtains related information that indicates a relationship of a plurality of host devices that distribute content to be input, to a client device; a selection receiving portion that receives a selection of one host device among the plurality of host devices; a related host device identifying portion that identifies a related host device related to a selected host device to be selected by the selection receiving portion, based on the related information; and a distribution destination specifying screen display portion that displays a distribution destination specifying screen for specifying a client device as a distribution destination of content of each of the selected host device and the related host device.

An output device for providing output service to a mobile information apparatus without requiring a device specific output driver installed at the mobile information apparatus. The wireless output device may include an operating system, a wireless communication unit for radio frequency communication, a display screen, and a user interface over the display screen, the output device may include features for installing one or more application software at the output device for expanding the capabilities of the output device, registering the output device with a control point over a network and providing an identification of the output device for enabling one or more mobile information apparatuses to transmit output data to the output device. Subsequent to registering the output device and providing the identification information of the output device, the output device receives output data associated with the identification information from the mobile information apparatus for rendering.

This application is directed to protocol switching over multi-network interface, specifically switching between mirroring and streaming protocols using one L2 connection established between a source multimedia device and a sink multimedia device, depending on the application and/or multimedia content and as facilitated by a controller device.

Internet based digital content services as well as mobile client devices for accessing the Internet are herein disclosed and enabled. In one example, user digital content, such as documents, audio, or video content, may be uploaded to a content server for storing. The user may share the user digital content with other client devices or users having appropriate authentication or security procedures. A user play list or rendering list may include a list of pointers or references to digital content. The stored user play list or the stored user digital content may be further edited, stored, or shared subsequently for access and rendering. The Internet services are accessible by smart devices, such as smart phones, information pads, TVs, audio output devices, and printers. The smart devices that access the Internet services may require client software for accessing the Internet service.

Streaming of high bandwidth audio streams using the Internet Protocol on an Ethernet network is common practice. The invention concerns an audio stream network 1 with network components, wherein the network components comprise at least one source device 2 and a plurality of receiving devices 3, 3a, 3b, 3c,

wherein the network components are connected with a network connection, wherein the network connection is using the internet protocol, wherein the source device 2 is adapted to provide an audio stream 4a, 4b, 4c, wherein the audio stream 4a, 4b, 4c comprises at least one channel, wherein the receiving devices 3, 3a, 3b,3c are adapted to receive one or more audio stream 4a, 4b, 4c from at least one of the source devices 3, 3a, 3b, 3c.

Methods, systems, and products control presentation of media content within a networked environment of multiple devices. Interaction rules are used to determine which ones of the devices interact with each other. Further rules may define what media content is playable by each one of the devices in the networked environment.