1-30. (canceled)
31. A method of operating a bridging device to provide content, comprising:
receiving content via a tuner included in said bridging device, said tuner being tuned to a user selected channel of a first communications network; and
interfacing between said first communications network and at least one of: i) a non-cable network or ii) an end user device, said interfacing including supplying content received via the user selected channel of the first network to at least one of said non-cable network or ii) an end user device.
32. The method of claim 31, wherein said end user device is one of: an IP device, a media capable device, a cell phone, a personal data assistant, and a personal computer.
33. The method of claim 31,
wherein said first network is a different type of network than said non-cable network; and
wherein said non-cable network is one of : an Ethernet and a wireless network; and
wherein said end user device is coupled to said bridging device via said non-cable network.
34. The method of claim 31, wherein said bridging device includes a tuner, the method further comprising:
receiving a signal indicating a user selected channel;
tuning to a channel specified by said end user device in response to a signal from the end user device.
35. The method of claim 32, wherein said first communications network is multi-channel network;
wherein said non-cable network is a home network, and wherein interfacing between said first communications network and at least one of: i) a non-cable network or ii) an end user device includes:
communicating encoded video data including video content, received from the first communications network on the user selected channel to the end user device via the home network.
36. The method of claim 35, further comprising:
prior to communicating encoded video data including video content to the end user device:
decrypting encrypted video content received from the cable network; and
re-encrypting the decrypted video content using a different encryption method than was used to encrypt the video content received from the first communications network, said re-encrypted video content including said encoded video data being communicated to the end user device.
37. The method of claim 34, further comprising:
prior to communicating encoded video data including video content to the end user device:
transcoding video content received from the first communications network in a first encoded format to produce video content in a second encoded format, said second encoded format being different from the first encoded format, said encoded video data communicated to the end user device including content in said second encoded format.
38. The method of claim 37, wherein said transcoding of the video content produces a second bitstream having a lower data rate than the data rate of a first bitstream including the received video content, said second bitstream being communicated to the end user device.
39. The method of claim 34, further comprising:
prior to communicating encoded video data including video content to the end user device:
performing a transrating operation to produce a second bitstream having a lower data rate than the data rate of a first bitstream including the received video content, said second bitstream being communicated to the end user device.
40. The method of claim 35, wherein said transcoding and transrating operations are performed as part of said interfacing operation.
41. The method of claim 31, further comprising:
performing a protocol conversion operation to convert between a communications format used by said first communications network and a communications format used by said non-cable network.
42. The method of claim 31, wherein said bridging device does not have a video decoder for generating decoded video.
43. The method of claim 31, wherein said bridging device does not have a decoded video output.
44. The method of claim 31 further comprising:
receiving content from a first end user device; and
processing the content from the first end user device by performing at least one of: i) a transcoding and ii) transrating operation to generate processed content; and
transmitting the processed content to a second end user device.
45. The method of claim 44, further comprising:
determining at least one of a data rate and coding format of content supplied by the first user device;
wherein transcoding is performed as part of said processing when the coding format of content supplied by the first user device is different from a coding format supported by the second user device; and
wherein transrating is performed as part of said processing when the data rate of content supplied by the first user device is different from a data rate supported by the second user device.
46. A bridging device, comprising:
a tuner configured to receive a user selected channel of a first communications network;
a second interface for interfacing said bridging device to at least one of i) a non-cable network or ii) an end user device; and
a protocol conversion module for performing a protocol conversion between a first protocol used by said first communications network and a second protocol used by said second interface, said second protocol being different from said first protocol.
47. The bridging of claim 46, wherein said end user device is one of: an IP device, a media capable device, a cell phone, a personal data assistant, or a personal computer.
48. The bridging device of claim 46,
wherein said second interface interfaces said bridging device to a non-cable network,
wherein said non-cable network is one of : an Ethernet and a wireless network;
wherein an end user device is coupled to said bridging device via said non-cable network; and
wherein said second interface includes at least one of a Media over Coax Alliance interface module and an Ethernet Interface module.
49. The bridging device of claim 46,
wherein said second interface interfaces said bridging device to an end user device, and
wherein said second interface includes at least one of a USB interface module, RS422 interface module and RS232 interface module.
50. The bridging device of claim 46, further comprising:
a transrating module configured to perform a transrating operation to reduce the data rate of video content received via said user selected channel of said first communications network prior to communicating said video content to said user device, said user device coupled to said bridging device via a home network.
51. The bridging device of claim 50, further comprising:
a decryption module configured to decrypt encrypted video content received from the first communications network; and
an encryption module for re-encrypting the decrypted video content using a different encryption method than was used to encrypt the video content received from the first communications network, and
wherein output of the encryption module is communicated via the second interface.
52. The bridging device of claim 46, further comprising:
a transcoding module configured to transcode video content received from the cable network in a first encoded format to produce video content in a second encoded format, said second encoded format being different from the first encoded format, and
wherein encoded video data communicated to the end user device includes content in said second encoded format.
53. The bridging of claim 52, wherein said transcoding module produces a second bitstream having a lower data rate than the data rate of a first bitstream including the received video content, said second bitstream being communicated to the end user device.
54. The bridging device of claim 49, further comprising:
a transrating module configured to perform a transrating operation to produce a second bitstream having a lower data rate than the data rate of a first bitstream including the received video content, said second bitstream being communicated to the end user device.
55. The bridging device of claim 46, wherein said protocol conversion module performs a protocol conversion operation to convert between a communications format used by said first communications network and a communications format used by said non-cable network, and
wherein said communications format used by said cable network is a cable modem communications protocol format and wherein said communications format used by said non-cable network is an Ethernet protocol format.
56. The device of claim 46, wherein said bridging device does not have a video decoder for generating decoded video.
57. The device of claim 46, wherein said bridging device does not have a decoded video output.
58. The device of claim 46, further comprising:
a rate determination module configured to determine a data rate of content supplied by a first end user device.
59. The device of claim 58, further comprising:
a coding format determination module configured to determine a coding format of content supplied by the first end user device.
60. The device of claim 59, further comprising:
a recoding determination module configured to determine, with regard to content supplied by the first end user device to be communicated to a second end user device, i) if transrating is to be performed, ii) if transcoding is to be performed and iii) if transrating and transcoding is to be performed.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method of establishing a wireless connection to a device, said method comprising:
identifying available devices within wireless range;
receiving a selection of a device, wherein said device is one of said available devices;
connecting wirelessly with said device; and
automatically using a passkey for said device, wherein said passkey for said device is retrieved from memory and wherein manual input of said passkey is obviated.
2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said discovering and said connecting are performed substantially according to Bluetooth protocols.
3. The method as recited in claim 1 comprising:
displaying a list of said available devices.
4. The method as recited in claim 3 wherein said device is identifiable in said list as a device for which a passkey is stored in memory.
5. The method as recited in claim 1 comprising:
receiving said passkey for said device at a time prior to said discovering and said connecting; and
storing said passkey.
6. The method as recited in claim 1 comprising:
displaying a list of devices for which passkeys are stored in memory.
7. The method as recited in claim 6 comprising:
deleting a device from said list.
8. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said passkey is valid only for a specified period of time.
9. A system comprising:
a bus;
a display device coupled to said bus;
a transceiver coupled to said bus;
a processor coupled to said bus; and
a memory coupled to said bus, said memory comprising instructions for implementing a method of establishing a wireless connection to another device, said method comprising:
identifying available devices within wireless range;
receiving a selection of a device, wherein said device is one of said available devices;
connecting wirelessly with said device; and
automatically using a passkey for said device, wherein said passkey for said device is retrieved from memory and wherein manual input of said passkey is obviated.
10. The system of claim 9 wherein said discovering and said connecting of said method are performed substantially according to Bluetooth protocols.
11. The system of claim 9 wherein said method comprises:
displaying a list of said available devices.
12. The system of claim 11 wherein said device is identifiable in said list as a device for which a passkey is stored in memory.
13. The system of claim 9 wherein said method comprises:
receiving said passkey for said device at a time prior to said discovering and said connecting; and
storing said passkey.
14. The system of claim 9 wherein said method comprises:
displaying a list of devices for which passkeys are stored in memory.
15. The system of claim 14 wherein said method comprises:
deleting a device from said list.
16. The system of claim 9 wherein said passkey is valid only for a specified period of time.
17. A computer-usable medium having computer-readable code stored thereon for causing a device to perform a method of establishing a wireless connection to another device, said method comprising:
identifying available devices within wireless range;
receiving a selection of another device, wherein said other device is one of said available devices;
connecting wirelessly with said other device; and
automatically using a passkey for said other device, wherein said passkey for said other device is retrieved from memory and wherein manual input of said passkey is obviated.
18. The computer-usable medium of claim 17 wherein said discovering and said connecting are performed substantially according to Bluetooth protocols.
19. The computer-usable medium of claim 17 wherein said computer-readable program code embodied therein causes said device to perform said method comprising:
displaying a list of said available devices.
20. The computer-usable medium of claim 19 wherein said other device is identifiable in said list as a device for which a passkey is stored in memory.
21. The computer-usable medium of claim 17 wherein said computer-readable program code embodied therein causes said device to perform said method comprising:
receiving said passkey for said other device at a time prior to said discovering and said connecting; and
storing said passkey.
22. The computer-usable medium of claim 17 wherein said computer-readable program code embodied therein causes said device to perform said method comprising:
displaying a list of devices for which passkeys are stored in memory.
23. The computer-usable medium of claim 22 wherein said computer-readable program code embodied therein causes said device to perform said method comprising:
deleting a device from said list.
24. The computer-usable medium of claim 17 wherein said passkey is valid only for a specified period of time.