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 non-transitory computer-readable media having stored thereon instructions which, when executing by a processing device of a first streaming media playback device, perform steps for facilitating a playing of a streaming media, the steps comprising:
 receiving a first request to pause a rendering of the streaming media wherein the steaming media is streamed to the first streaming media playback device from a source of streaming media using a first format; 
 causing 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 to be stored in a memory of the first streaming media playback device; 
 receiving a second request to commence a streaming of the at least a portion of the streaming media that was caused to be stored in the memory of the first streaming media playback device to a second streaming media playback device in communication with the first streaming media playback device for rendering by the second media playback device; 
 in response to the second request, commencing the streaming of the at least a portion of the steaming media that was caused to be stored in the memory of the first streaming media playback device to the second streaming media playback device using a second format different than the first format; and 
 automatically selecting the second format. 
 
     
     
       2. The non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the instructions consider a playback capability of the second streaming media playback device when automatically selecting the second format. 
     
     
       3. The non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the instructions consider a characteristic of a display device associated with the second streaming media playback device when automatically selecting the second format. 
     
     
       4. The non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the instructions consider a characteristic of a media stream processing device associated with the second streaming media playback device when automatically selecting the second format. 
     
     
       5. The non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the streaming media comprises an Internet based audio/video stream. 
     
     
       6. The non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the instructions consider a device identifier received from the second media streaming media playback device to automatically select the second format for the streaming media. 
     
     
       7. The non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in  claim 6 , wherein the device identifier comprises at least a device type identifier. 
     
     
       8. The non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the streaming media comprises one of a cable, satellite, or broadband channel being viewed by use of the first media streaming device.