System and method for saving and recalling state data for media and home appliances

Abstract

A set of media playback and device settings data from each home appliance of a first set of home appliances is stored on a central server and/or sent to a remote control device upon initiation of a suspend command by a user. The stored media and devices states may be used at a later time to control the first set of home appliances, or a user may, after relocating to a second set of home appliances, initiate a resume state command whereupon media playback and device settings data from the central server and/or remote control device controls each home appliance in the second set of home appliances to bring about the same or substantially similar media and device states as in the first set of home appliances.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for facilitating a playing of a streaming media, comprising:
 receiving at a first steaming media playback device a first request to pause a rendering of the streaming media wherein the streaming media is streamed to the first streaming media playback device from a source of streaming media using a first format; 
 causing the first streaming media playback device to record at least a portion of the streaming media that the first streaming media playback device receives from the source of streaming media subsequent to the first request; 
 receiving at the first streaming media playback device a second request to commence a streaming of the at least the portion of the streaming media that was caused to be recorded by the first streaming media playback device to a second streaming media playback device for rendering by the second media playback device; and 
 in response to the second request, causing the first streaming media playback device to commence the streaming of the at least the portion of the streaming media that was caused to be recorded by the first streaming media playback device to the second streaming media playback device wherein the first streaming media playback device streams the at least the portion of the streaming media that was caused to be recorded by the first streaming media playback device to the second streaming media playback device using an automatically selected second format that is different than the first format. 
 
     
     
       2. The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the second format comprises a format automatically selected considering a playback capability of the second streaming media playback device. 
     
     
       3. The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the second format comprises a format automatically selected considering a characteristic of a display device associated with the second streaming media playback device. 
     
     
       4. The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the second format comprises a format automatically selected considering a characteristic of a media stream processing device associated with the second streaming media playback device. 
     
     
       5. The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the streaming media comprises an Internet based audio/video stream. 
     
     
       6. The method as recited in  claim 1 , comprising receiving by the first streaming media playback device from the second media streaming media playback device a device identifier and using by the first streaming media playback device the device identifier to automatically select the second format. 
     
     
       7. The method as recited in  claim 6 , wherein the device identifier comprises at least a device type identifier. 
     
     
       8. The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the streaming media comprises one of a cable, satellite, or broadband channel being viewed via use of the first media streaming playback device. 
     
     
       9. The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the source of streaming media comprises a media storage device in communication with the first streaming media playback device via a local area network. 
     
     
       10. The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the second request is received by the first streaming media playback device from the second streaming media playback device. 
     
     
       11. The method as recited in  claim 10 , wherein the second streaming media playback device comprises a smart device. 
     
     
       12. The method as recited in  claim 10 , wherein the second streaming media playback device comprises a television.