Example systems and techniques disclosed herein facilitate interoperability between different media playback systems referred to herein as a virtual line-in (VLI) media playback system and a native playback system. When a VLI session is created by a VLI sender, a first native playback device can join a VLI group as a VLI receiver. As a VLI receiver, the first native playback device receives audio content and playback commands from the VLI sender to facilitate synchronous playback with other VLI receivers. At the same time, this native playback device can concurrently operate as a native domain group coordinator of a native domain synchrony group. As the native domain group coordinator, the native playback device translates VLI domain audio, control, and timing signals into the native domain and distributes such signals to native domain group members. In this way, the native domain group members can synchronize their playback with the VLI group.

Software applications supporting wireless printing are herein disclosed and enabled. The wireless printing from a mobile device may not require a device specific printer driver installed. For example, to print from an application (e.g., browsing application, email application, document application) on a smart phone, the application obtains digital content, displays the digital content on a touch sensitive screen, establishes a wireless local area network connection (e.g., IEEE 802.11) to a network, discovers one or more printers available in the network, receives device information related to a discovered printer, selects a printer for printing the digital content, and selects a print item to transmit output data to the selected printer. The application may register the discovered printer with a service over a network by transmitting the device information to the service. Subsequently, the service may share the registered printer with another mobile device that has appropriate security or authentication information.

There is provided an information processing apparatus to allow a user to use a device network by a natural and simple operation by automatically selecting a device for providing a response to a request, the information processing apparatus including: a request acquiring part configured to acquire a request to a system; a response determining part configured to determine a response to the request; a device selecting part configured to select, on the basis of at least an attribute of the response, a device that provides the response among devices included in the system; and a device controller configured to perform control that causes the selected device to provide the response.

Methods and systems are described for storing video content collected by a home automation system. According to at least one embodiment, an apparatus for accessing video content collected by a home automation system includes a processor, a memory in electronic communication with the processor, and instructions stored in the memory which are executable by a processor to receive at a remote device live video content from a camera of the home automation system, and initiate real-time, two-way audio communication between the remote device and a user of the home automation system via the camera.

A system and method for configuring a remote control to command the operation of appliances, to capture demographic data, and to provide services, such as automated warranty registration, instructions, viewing guides, etc., relevant to the appliances is provided. The system includes a database and associated server that are located remotely from the remote control and accessible via a network connection. Command codes, graphical user interface elements, and services are accessed and downloaded to the remote control, as appropriate, using data supplied to the server that identifies the appliances and/or functional capabilities of the appliances. This data can be supplied by the appliances directly or can be obtained from other sources such as barcode labels, network devices, etc.

To reduce energy consumption in a low power mode, a display device such as a TV deenergizes its display and components in its network stack while leaving its infrared (IR) receiver on. A home network device that is not a conventional TV remote control (RC), for instance, a smart speaker, can receive a voice command to energize the TV, and instead of sending a wake up command to the TV through the home network, transmits an IR wake up command or sonic wake up command or non-IP RF command to the TV, which energizes its network stack and display in response.

A video switching system, which can be part of an audio video receivers (AVR), enables simultaneous routing of multiple independent video streams (e.g., 8K video streams) received at HDMI inputs of the AVR from digital media sources to multiple selected digital display devices.

A system for operating an electronic device supporting enhanced data processing is provided. The system includes a plurality of electronic devices supporting playback of content; and a managing device delivering content whose data is processed by a certain electronic device among the plurality of electronic devices to a preset electronic device when playback of the content in the certain electronic device is requested.

A system, method, and computer-readable medium for generation of a controlled device Module are provided. Various components are provided to a Module designer for selection, and the designer defines the interface APIs specifying the component functionalities. The designer may specify custom commands or events for the Module including Commands, Properties, and Parameters, and custom components corresponding to the custom commands are generated. A self-describing capabilities component is then generated for each component, and a composite capabilities component may then be generated from the capabilities components of each of the components. The completed Module package is then produced by an integrated development environment station.

A system, method, and computer-readable medium for configuring a controlled device in a control system are provided. A self-describing device Module associated with a controlled device provides capabilities of a controlled device both at runtime and before installation. The controlled device Module includes a capabilities component that provides a description of the controlled device's capabilities both as a capabilities object that can be queried at runtime and in a self-describing capabilities file implemented in a format prior to operational configuration of the Module or controlled device. The Module is configured to generate its runtime capabilities object and self-describing capabilities file.