A remote control apparatus receives, processes and then transmits wireless signals as control commands specific to a target appliance, device or product. The apparatus, which is a combination of a remote receiving device and a secondary relay transmitting device, communicates with the target device to control its operations. The apparatus can be used to control a plurality of target devices via their existing remote controlling scheme. The apparatus can operate in an area that does not have existing wireless infrastructure, and can be controlled by a user device.

In response to a detected presence of an intended target appliance within a logical topography of controllable appliances identity information associated with the intended target appliance is used to automatically add to a graphical user interface of a controlling device an icon representative of the intended target appliance and to create at a Universal Control Engine a listing of communication methods for use in controlling corresponding functional operations of the intended target appliance. When the icon is later activated, the controlling device is placed into an operating state appropriate for controlling functional operations of the intended target appliance while the Universal Control Engine uses at least one of the communication methods to transmit at least one command to place the intended target appliance into a predetermined operating state.

A system and method for enabling set up of a controlling device capable of controlling a plurality of appliances provides an interactive instruction set and associated programming which is downloadable to a controllable appliance having an associated display, such as an Internet enabled television. The programming is accessible by the controllable appliance and is configured to appropriately display interactive instructions from the interactive instruction set to a user during a user initiated set up procedure for setting up the controlling device to communicate commands to another controllable device (e.g., a DVD, VCR, DVR, etc).

A television and system and method for providing a remote control device are disclosed. In one embodiment of the television, the television includes a processor, a memory, a tuner, a panel, and an audio driver therein in an interconnected architecture. The television may establish a pairing with a proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device, such as a proximate wireless-enabled interactive handheld device having a touch screen display, whereby formatted parallel audiovisual experience instructions, including virtual buttons, may be transmitted to the proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device for display on the touch screen display to create an experience parallel to the experience on the television. The television receives and processes virtual remote control functionality input instructions from the proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device to control amenities associated with the television.

Recommending and activating scenes in a multimedia system are provided. The techniques of the present disclosure can allow the states of the components in the multimedia system to be captured in a scene. Once the scene has been saved, the scene can be activated at a later time. A controller device for recommending scenes by comparing the current state with states of components in saved scenes is also provided. The controller device can also determine if media is playing in a current scene, and activate a selected scene without playing the media content. Once the selected scene is activated, the media playing in the current scene can be switched, and the media playing in the selected scene can be played.

A system and method for enabling set up of a controlling device capable of controlling a plurality of appliances, via an interactive instruction set and associated programming. The programming is accessible by a STB or other controllable appliance and is configured to appropriately display interactive instructions and prompts to a user during a user initiated set up procedure for configuration of another controllable device (e.g., DVD, VCR, DVR, etc) available to the user.

The system, method and device for enabling remote-control of consumer electronic devices is disclosed. The system may comprise, a first communication device, a second communication device wherein the second communication device is communicatively coupled with the first communication device. The second communication device is capable of receiving one or more input control signals from the first communication device. The system further comprises, a docking station electronically coupled with the second communication device. The processor may perform demodulating and modulating of the one or more input control signals received by the second communication device from the first communication device. The processor may retrieve one or more infrared codes from a preconfigured database based upon the one or more modulated control signals and transmitting the one or more infrared codes to one or more consumer electronics device in order to remotely control the one or more consumer electronics.

A controlling device has a configurable key. An insert is provided to the configurable key and includes an indicium representative of a media content provider. An image of the indicium or an image of a QR code associated with the indicium is used to assign one or more commands to the configurable key. The one or more commands are used to cause a controllable device to tune to a channel on which the media content provider is being broadcast, to invoke an app associated with the media content provider, to access a website associated with the media content provider, and the like.

A speech recognition engine is provided voice data indicative of at least a brand of a target appliance. The speech recognition engine uses the voice data indicative of at least a brand of the target appliance to identify within a library of codesets at least one codeset that is cross-referenced to the brand of the target appliance. The at least one codeset so identified is then caused to be provisioned to the controlling device for use in commanding functional operations of the target appliance.

An image processing terminal for performing a different operation according to a force input and upgrade of software and a method of upgrading the software are disclosed. The image processing terminal comprises a processor, a memory connected to the processor and a communication unit configured to receive a control signal having information concerning a force input from a remote controller or receive control command information and updated control command information from a computer processing device or a storage device, according to a selection of a key by a user. Here, the memory stores program commands by which the processor performs different operations or different screens according to the control command information or the updated control command information though the control signal corresponding to the force input to the same key is received from the remote controller.