Patent ID: 7836223
Filing Date: 2010-11-16
Classification: H04L,H04N

Abstract:
1. A method comprising: connecting a first device to a second device via a media interface, the media interface including a plurality of communication channels for a unidirectional data transmission mode from the first device to the second device, the media interface being in compliance with a media protocol including High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), the first device being a transmitting device and the second device being a receiving device for the media protocol, the plurality of communication channels including a first channel for data transmission and a second channel for transmission of a clock signal in the unidirectional data transmission mode; discovering by the first device that the second device is available for a bidirectional data transmission mode using the plurality of communication channels; in response to discovery that the second device is available for the bidirectional data transmission mode, configuring the first device and the second device for bidirectional data transmission using the plurality of data channels, the bidirectional data transmission being conducted according to a network protocol including Ethernet; and transmitting bidirectional data between the first device and the second device via the media interface, wherein transmitting bidirectional data includes transmitting data from the first device to the second device via the first channel and transmitting data from the second device to the first device via the first channel and transmitting data from the second device to the first device via the second channel, the second channel being operated in a reverse direction for data transmission in the bidirectional data transmission than a direction for the second channel in transmitting the clock signal in the unidirectional data transmission; wherein the media interface connection further includes an out of band channel, and wherein the first device discovering that the second device is available for the bidirectional data transmission mode includes the first device and second device using the output of band channel to negotiate for bidirectional data transmission.