A set-top box with an interactive portal and system and method for use of the same are disclosed. In one embodiment of the set-top box, the set-top box is deployed to provide an interactive portal in a hospitality establishment having multiple rooms, such as a hotel. The set-top box is associated with a room and includes a housing that secures a television input, a television output, a processor, a transceiver, and memory therein in an interconnected bus architecture. The set-top box generates a default interactive portal as well as a guest-specific interactive portal, which is generated from a guest configuration profile having information including guest identification, a guest channel preference presentation, and a guest service preference presentation with guest account information. The guest configuration profile may also enable the creation of a local area wireless network with substantially the same behavior as the guest's home wireless network.

A set-top box with an interactive portal and system and method for use of the same are disclosed. In one embodiment of the set-top box, the set-top box is deployed to provide an interactive portal in a hospitality establishment having multiple rooms, such as a hotel. The set-top box is associated with a room and includes a housing that secures a television input, a television output, a processor, a transceiver, and memory therein in an interconnected bus architecture. The set-top box generates a default interactive portal as well as a guest-specific interactive portal, which is generated from a guest configuration profile having information including guest identification, a guest channel preference presentation, and a guest service preference presentation with guest account information. The guest configuration profile may also enable the creation of a local area wireless network with substantially the same behavior as the guest's home wireless network.

An electronic device, computer program product, and method manage presenting and pausing of media content in response to locally detected visual and aural interruptions. The electronic device is configured to determine, using one or more sensors from among: (i) an image capturing device positioned to have a field of view of a monitored area and (ii) a microphone positioned to detect sounds in or near the monitored area. A consumer is in the monitored area during presenting of media content by a media output device. The electronic device is configured to monitor the one or more sensors to determine whether an interruption is occurring that can degrade consumer experience relative to the presenting of the media content. In response to determining that the interruption is occurring, the electronic device is configured to pause the presenting of the media content on the media output device.

An electronic device, computer program product, and method manage presenting and pausing of media content in response to locally detected visual and aural interruptions. The electronic device is configured to determine, using one or more sensors from among: (i) an image capturing device positioned to have a field of view of a monitored area and (ii) a microphone positioned to detect sounds in or near the monitored area. A consumer is in the monitored area during presenting of media content by a media output device. The electronic device is configured to monitor the one or more sensors to determine whether an interruption is occurring that can degrade consumer experience relative to the presenting of the media content. In response to determining that the interruption is occurring, the electronic device is configured to pause the presenting of the media content on the media output device.

A method and apparatus for secure transfer and playback of multimedia content enables the secure transfer of multimedia content from a digital video recorder (DVR) to a personal computer (PC) and further to a handheld device. A DVR determines which devices on a Local Area Network (LAN) are authorized to share and/or retrieve content from the DVR. The DVR receives a connection request from a PC on the LAN, authorizes the connection request and establishes a secure connection between the DVR and the PC. Once the secure connection is established, the DVR receives a request for multimedia content from the PC, prepares the multimedia content for transfer and transfers the multimedia content to the PC.

An image display device includes a tuner configured to receive a RF broadcast signal; a display; a first input configured to receive a first image signal input from a first external device connected to the image display device; a second input configured to receive a second image signal input from a second external device connected to the image display device; and a controller coupled with the display, the first input and the second input. Further, the controller is configured to display, on the display, a plurality of icons including a first icon and a second icon. In addition, the first icon includes a first default image identifying the first input and the second icon includes a second default image identifying the second input, change the first default image to a first video image currently being played on the first external device and corresponding to the first image signal received from the first external device in response to the first icon being selected if the first external device is connected to the image display device, and change the first video image back to the first default image in response to the second icon being selected.

An electronic device that obtains a set of remote-control commands is described. During operation, the electronic device may receive an image associated with a second electronic device, where a brand and a model of the second electronic device are initially unknown to the electronic device. Then, the electronic device may perform image analysis on the image to determine at least the brand of the second electronic device. Moreover, the electronic device may access, based at least in part on the determined brand, the set of remote-control commands that are associated with the second electronic device. Next, the electronic device may store the set of remote-control commands in memory. Subsequently, when the electronic device receives user-interface activity information associated with a portable electronic device that specifies selection of the second electronic device, the electronic device may provide the set of remote-control commands to the second electronic device.

Mechanisms for presenting media content items using multiple devices are provided. In some embodiments, methods for presenting media content are provided that include: detecting an offer to initiate a purchase of a content item being presented using the media device, wherein the media device has not been authenticated with a content service that provides the content item; in response to detecting the offer to initiate the purchase of the content item when the media device has not been authenticated with the content service that provides the content item, causing the media device to be discoverable by one or more mobile devices that are connected to a same local area network as the media device; encoding offer data corresponding to the detected offer to initiate the purchase of the content item; in response to receiving a status request from a mobile device that is connected to the same local area network as the media device, transmitting the encoded offer data associated with the purchase of the content item to the mobile device, wherein the encoded offer data causes a payment user interface to be presented on the mobile device; receiving a cast request from the mobile device to cast the content item on the media device; and in response to the cast request, executing a receiver application on the media device that accepts the cast request from the mobile device and causes the content item to be presented using the media device.

Playback devices can support audio encoded using various encoding schemes. Playing back such content includes receiving, at a playback device, audio data from an audio source; and receiving an indication from the audio source that the audio data is encoded in the compressed audio format. The device determines, independently of receiving the indication from the audio source that the audio data is encoded in the compressed audio format, whether the audio data is encoded in a compressed audio format. If the audio data is determined to be encoded in the compressed audio format: the device selects a decoder from among a plurality of decoders; decodes the audio data using the selected decoder; and plays back the decoded audio data via the playback device. If the audio data is determined not to be encoded in the compressed audio format, the device inhibits playback of the audio data.

Provided are an electronic apparatus and an operating method of the same. The electronic apparatus includes: a communicator; a memory storing one or more instructions; and a processor configured to control the electronic apparatus by executing the one or more instructions to: collect peripheral device information based on a message received from a peripheral device, by using a first device discovery protocol and a second device discovery protocol; transmit the peripheral device information to a server through the communicator; and receive a home network device list of the electronic apparatus from the server through the communicator, the home network device list being generated by the server based on the peripheral device information.