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).

Various techniques are provided to program and operate a user device to remotely control target devices. In one example, a user may program a user device with a remote control device that includes physical controls. The user device may capture an image of the remote control device. The user device may determine a location on the image corresponding to a physical control. The user device may receive an infrared (IR) signal from the remote control device corresponding to an actuation of the physical control. The user device may associate the IR signal and the location. The user may operate the user device to control a target device. The user device may present the image to the user on a display. The user device may receive a user contact corresponding to a location on the image and transmit an IR signal associated with the location to operate the target device.

The invention relates to a system and method of re-programming memory, and in particular, to wirelessly re-programming software, such as the application code, residing in memory of a trainable transceiver. The wireless re-programming of memory allows for software in the trainable transceiver to be updated or replaced from a remote location, where a direct or wired connection to the product is not otherwise available.

Imaging capabilities of a remote control are leveraged to automatically identify a remotely controllable device and program the remote control accordingly. The remote control uses its built-in image device to obtain an image of a remotely controllable device. The image is processed and compared to a database to determine the specific type of device. Other variations include information of a location of the remote control and/or a location of a controllable device to facilitate in determining and controlling a device.

An image display device includes: a processor; a memory configured to store channel information corresponding to at least one channel; and at least one program which is stored in the memory and executed by the processor. The program may include instructions for controlling a display so as to move a channel indicator in a first or second direction on a channel scroll bar and to display channel information of a channel corresponding to a point at which the channel indicator is located, in response to a first input of pressing a channel-up or channel-down key for a long time, and for switching a current channel to the channel corresponding to the point at which the channel indicator is located and displaying an image corresponding to the switched channel, in response to a second input of releasing the channel-up or channel-down key.

Data indicative of an object of interest is received at a recognition system having an associated database in which is stored data for a plurality of reference objects each of which is cross-referenced to configuration information for a universal controlling device. The reference system uses the received data and the data for the plurality of reference objects to discern one or more reference objects as being a match for the object of interest. At least a subset of the configuration information that has been cross-referenced to the one or more reference objects discerned by the recognition system as being a match for the object of interest is then used to configure the universal controlling device to enable the universal controlling device to communicate commands to one or more target appliances.

A system and method uses a first device fingerprint for a set-top box (STB) installed within a home theater environment which includes an over-the-top (OTT) device to cause a one a plurality of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) remote control setup procedures to be selected for use to configure an OEM remote control for the STB and the selected one of the plurality of OEM remote control setup procedures uses a second device fingerprint for the OTT device to cause the OEM remote control to be configured to transmit one or more commands to control functional operations of the OTT 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.

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.

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.