| 摘要 |
<p>A method and system for downloading applications for controlling devices within a home audio/video network. Several consumer electronics products, e.g., television, VCR, tuner, set-top box (e.g., intelligent receiver/decoder, IRD), DVTRs, PCs, DVD players (digital video disk), etc., can be coupled within the network to communicate together via a standard bus (e.g, IEEE 1394 serial communication bus). In one embodiment, the HAVI network offers unique advantages consumer electronic vendors because the architecture offers for the home network many of the advantages of existing computer system networks. Namely, interconnected devices can share resources and provide open, well defined APIs that allow ease of development for third party developers. Devices are controlled using software abstractions of the devices or services called DCMs. The present invention provides a mechanism whereby applications can be downloaded, e.g., via a programmable intelligent device (e.g., set-top-box), and provide features and services within the network. These applications originate from a service provider, are transferred over a logical channel (e.g., the internet/TV cable, satellite broadcast) to the consumer premises and are instantiated on the intelligent device within the network. The application can query a registry of DCMs to determine its complement of functions and can ultimately control the devices of the network using the available DCMs.</p> |
