Abstract:
An intelligent television is provided with reporting abilities. The intelligent television may report information regarding a number of applications installed on the intelligent television. Additionally, an indicia of applications installed and then de-installed may be maintained and reported such that the report includes removed applications. Once a report is created, it may then be stored in a data storage of the intelligent television and delivered to a server. Once successfully delivered, the oldest report may then be removed. Should the delivery of the report fail and free space fall below a threshold, the oldest report, as identified by a sequential or serial number, may then be removed.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    The present application claims the benefits of and priority, under 35 U.S.C. §119(e), to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. Nos. 61/684,672 filed Aug. 17, 2012, “Smart TV”; 61/702,650 filed Sep. 18, 2012, “Smart TV”; 61/697,710 filed Sep. 6, 2012, “Social TV”; 61/700,182 filed Sep. 12, 2012, “Social TV Roadmap”; 61/736,692 filed Dec. 13, 2012, “SmartTV”; 61/798,821 filed Mar. 15, 2013, “SmartTV”; 61/804,942 filed Mar. 25, 2013, “SmartTV”; 61/804,998 filed Mar. 25, 2013, “SmartTV”; 61/804,971 filed Mar. 25, 2013, “SmartTV”; 61/804,990 filed Mar. 25, 2013, “SmartTV”; 61/805,003 filed Mar. 25, 2013, “SmartTV”; 61/805,053 filed Mar. 25, 2013, “SmartTV”; 61/805,030 filed Mar. 25, 2013, “SmartTV”; 61/805,027 filed Mar. 25, 2013, “SmartTV”; 61/805,042 filed Mar. 25, 2013, “SmartTV”; and 61/805,038 filed Mar. 25, 2013, “SmartTV.” Each of the aforementioned documents is incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all that they teach and for all purposes. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Consolidation of device features or technological convergence is in an increasing trend. Technological convergence describes the tendency for different technological systems to evolve toward performing similar tasks. As people use more devices, the need to carry those devices, charge those devices, update software on those devices, etc. becomes more cumbersome. To compensate for these problems, technology companies have been integrating features from different devices into one or two multi-functional devices. For example, cellular phones are now capable of accessing the Internet, taking photographs, providing calendar functions, etc. 
         [0003]    The consolidation trend is now affecting the design and functionality of devices generally used in the home. For example, audio receivers can access the Internet, digital video recorders can store or provide access to digital photographs, etc. The television in home audio/video systems remains a cornerstone device because the display function cannot be integrated into other devices. As such, consolidating home devices leads to integrating features and functionality into the television. The emergence of the Smart Television (Smart TV) is evidence of the trend to consolidate functionality into the television. 
         [0004]    A Smart TV is generally conceived as a device that integrates access to the Internet and Web 2.0 features into television sets. The Smart TV represents the trend of technological convergence between computers and television sets. The Smart TV generally focuses on online interactive media, Internet TV, on-demand streaming media, and generally does not focus on traditional broadcast media. Unfortunately, most Smart TVs have yet to provide seamless and intuitive user interfaces for navigating and/or executing the various features of the Smart TV. As such, there are still issues with the consolidation of features and the presentation of these features in Smart TVs. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    There is a need for an Intelligent TV with intuitive user interfaces and with seamless user interaction capability. These and other needs are addressed by the various aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations of the present disclosure. Also, while the disclosure is presented in terms of exemplary embodiments, it should be appreciated that individual aspects of the disclosure can be separately claimed. 
         [0006]    Various embodiments are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a method is disclosed, comprising: executing a reporting function of a television; querying, by the reporting function, a statistics content provider of an application of the television for usage statistics; and creating, by the reporting function, a report incorporating the queried usage statistics. 
         [0007]    In another embodiment, a television is disclosed, comprising: a processor; a data storage; an application executable by the processor; and wherein the processor is operable to (a) execute a reporting function of the television, (b) query a statistics content provider of the application for usage statistics, (c) create a report incorporating the queried usage statistics, and (d) store the report in the data storage. 
         [0008]    In still another embodiment, another method is disclosed, comprising: querying an application manager of a television, the application manager having records of a number of applications of the television; returning, by the application manager, indicia associated with currently installed applications; and returning, by the application manager, indicia associated with removed applications. 
         [0009]    The present disclosure can provide a number of advantages depending on the particular aspect, embodiment, and/or configuration. In one embodiment, application statistics and user statistics associated with the applications may be collected and reported to enable a more complete understanding of the user&#39;s preferences and relative desirability of certain features of the intelligent television. 
         [0010]    These and other advantages will be apparent from the disclosure. 
         [0011]    The phrases “at least one”, “one or more”, and “and/or” are open-ended expressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. For example, each of the expressions “at least one of A, B and C”, “at least one of A, B, or C”, “one or more of A, B, and C”, “one or more of A, B, or C” and “A, B, and/or C” means A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B and C together. 
         [0012]    The term “a” or “an” entity refers to one or more of that entity. As such, the terms “a” (or “an”), “one or more” and “at least one” can be used interchangeably herein. It is also to be noted that the terms “comprising”, “including”, and “having” can be used interchangeably. 
         [0013]    The term “automatic” and variations thereof, as used herein, refers to any process or operation done without material human input when the process or operation is performed. However, a process or operation can be automatic, even though performance of the process or operation uses material or immaterial human input, if the input is received before performance of the process or operation. Human input is deemed to be material if such input influences how the process or operation will be performed. Human input that consents to the performance of the process or operation is not deemed to be “material.” 
         [0014]    A “blog” (a blend of the term web log) is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. 
         [0015]    A “blogging service” is a blog-publishing service that allows private or multi-user blogs with time-stamped entries. 
         [0016]    The term “cable TV” refers to a system of distributing television programs to subscribers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables or light pulses through fiber-optic cables. This contrasts with traditional broadcast television (terrestrial television) in which the television signal is transmitted over the air by radio waves and received by a television antenna attached to the television. 
         [0017]    The term “channel” or “television channel,” as used herein, can be a physical or virtual channel over which a television station or television network is distributed. A physical cannel in analog television can be an amount of bandwidth, typically 6, 7, or 8 MHz, that occupies a predetermine channel frequency. A virtual channel is a representation, in cable or satellite television, of a data stream for a particular television media provider (e.g., CDS, TNT, HBO, etc.). 
         [0018]    The term “computer-readable medium,” as used herein, refers to any tangible storage and/or transmission medium that participate in providing instructions to a processor for execution. Such a medium may take many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile media includes, for example, NVRAM, or magnetic or optical disks. Volatile media includes dynamic memory, such as main memory. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, magneto-optical medium, a CD-ROM, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any other physical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, and EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, a solid state medium like a memory card, any other memory chip or cartridge, a carrier wave as described hereinafter, or any other medium from which a computer can read. A digital file attachment to e-mail or other self-contained information archive or set of archives is considered a distribution medium equivalent to a tangible storage medium. When the computer-readable media is configured as a database, it is to be understood that the database may be any type of database, such as relational, hierarchical, object-oriented, and/or the like. Accordingly, the disclosure is considered to include a tangible storage medium or distribution medium and prior art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which the software implementations of the present disclosure are stored. 
         [0019]    The term “enhanced television” (ETV) refers to a collection of specifications developed under the OpenCable project of CableLabs (Cable Television Laboratories, Inc.) that define an ETV Application consisting of resources (files) adhering to the Enhanced TV Binary Interchange Format (EBIF) content format as well as PNG images, JPEG images, and PFR downloadable fonts. An ETV application is normally delivered through an MPEG transport stream and accompanies an MPEG program containing video and audio elementary streams. An “ETV Application” is a collection of resources (files) that include one or more EBIF resources that represent viewable information in the form of pages. Two forms of a given ETV Application may be distinguished: (1) an interchange form and (2) an execution form. The interchange form of an ETV Application consists of the resources (files) that represent the compiled application prior to its actual execution by an ETV User Agent. The execution form of an ETV Application consists of the stored, and possibly mutated forms of these resources while being decoded, presented, and executed by an ETV User Agent. An “ETV User Agent” is a software component that operates on a set-top box, a television, or any other computing environment capable of receiving, decoding, presenting, and processing an ETV Application. This component usually provides, along with its host hardware environment, one or more mechanisms for an end-user to navigate and interact with the multimedia content represented by ETV Applications. 
         [0020]    The term “high-definition television” (HDTV) provides a resolution that is substantially higher than that of standard-definition television. HDTV may be transmitted in various formats, namely 1080p-1920×1080p: 2,073,600 pixels (approximately 2.1 megapixels) per frame, 1080i (which is typically either 1920×1080i: 1,036,800 pixels (approximately 1 megapixel) per field or 2,073,600 pixels (approximately 2.1 megapixels) per frame or 1440×1080i:[1] 777,600 pixels (approximately 0.8 megapixels) per field or 1,555,200 pixels (approximately 1.6 megapixels) per frame), or 720p-1280×720p: 921,600 pixels (approximately 0.9 megapixels) per frame. As will be appreciated, “frame size” in pixels is defined as number of horizontal pixels×number of vertical pixels, for example 1280×720 or 1920×1080. Often the number of horizontal pixels is implied from context and is omitted, as in the case of 720p and 1080p, “scanning system” is identified with the letter “p” for progressive scanning or “i” for interlaced scanning, and “frame rate” is identified as number of video frames per second. For interlaced systems an alternative form of specifying number of fields per second is often used. For purposes of this disclosure, “high-definition television” is deemed to include other high-definition analog or digital video formats, including ultra high definition television. 
         [0021]    The term “internet television” (otherwise known as Internet TV, Online Television, or Online TV) is the digital distribution of television content via the Internet. It should not be confused with Web television—short programs or videos created by a wide variety of companies and individuals, or Internet protocol television (IPTV)—an emerging internet technology standard for use by television broadcasters. Internet Television is a general term that covers the delivery of television shows and other video content over the internet by video streaming technology, typically by major traditional television broadcasters. It does not describe a technology used to deliver content (see Internet protocol television). Internet television has become very popular through services such as RTÉ Player in Ireland; BBC iPlayer, 4oD, ITV Player (also STV Player and UTV Player) and Demand Five in the United Kingdom; Hulu in the United States; Nederland 24 in the Netherlands; ABC iview and Australia Live TV in Australia; Tivibu in Turkey; and iWanTV! in the Philippines. 
         [0022]    The term “internet protocol television” (IPTV) refers to a system through which television services are delivered using the Internet protocol suite over a packet-switched network such as the Internet, instead of being delivered through traditional terrestrial, satellite signal, and cable television formats. IPTV services may be classified into three main groups, namely live television, with or without interactivity related to the current TV show; time-shifted television: catch-up TV (replays a TV show that was broadcast hours or days ago), start-over TV (replays the current TV show from its beginning); and video on demand (VOD): browse a catalog of videos, not related to TV programming. IPTV is distinguished from Internet television by its on-going standardization process (e.g., European Telecommunications Standards Institute) and preferential deployment scenarios in subscriber-based telecommunications networks with high-speed access channels into end-user premises via set-top boxes or other customer-premises equipment. 
         [0023]    The term “silo,” as used herein, can be a logical representation of an input, source, or application. An input can be a device or devices (e.g., DVD, VCR, etc.) electrically connected to the television through a port (e.g., HDMI, video/audio inputs, etc.) or through a network (e.g., LAN WAN, etc.). Rather than a device or devices, the input could be configured as an electrical or physical connection to one or more devices. A source, particularly a content source, can be a data service that provides content (e.g., a media center, a file system, etc.). An application can be a software service that provides a particular type of function (e.g., Live TV, Video on Demand, User Applications, photograph display, etc.). The silo, as a logical representation, can have an associated definition or property, such as a setting, feature, or other characteristic. 
         [0024]    The term “panel,” as used herein, can mean a user interface displayed in at least a portion of the display. The panel may be interactive (e.g., accepts user input) or informational (e.g., does not accept user input). A panel may be translucent whereby the panel obscures but does not mask the underlying content being displayed in the display. Panels may be provided in response to a user input from a button or remote control interface. 
         [0025]    The term “screen,” as used herein, refers to a physical structure that includes one or more hardware components that provide the device with the ability to render a user interface and/or receive user input. A screen can encompass any combination of gesture capture region, a touch sensitive display, and/or a configurable area. The device can have one or more physical screens embedded in the hardware. However a screen may also include an external peripheral device that may be attached and detached from the device. In embodiments, multiple external devices may be attached to the device. For example, another screen may be included with a remote control unit that interfaces with the Intelligent TV. 
         [0026]    The term “media” of “multimedia,” as used herein, refers to content that may assume one of a combination of different content forms. Multimedia can include one or more of, but is not limited to, text, audio, still images, animation, video, or interactivity content forms. 
         [0027]    The term “Intelligent TV,” as used herein, refers to a television configured to provide one or more intuitive user interfaces and interactions based on a unique application platform and architecture. The Intelligent TV utilizes processing resources associated with the television to integrate Internet connectivity with parallel application functionality. This integration allows a user the ability to intuitively access various sources of media and content (e.g., Internet, over-the-top content, on-demand streaming media, over-the-air broadcast media, and/or other forms of information) via the Intelligent TV in a quick and efficient manner. Although the Intelligent TV disclosed herein may comprise one or more components of a “smart TV,” it is an aspect of the Intelligent TV to provide expanded intuitive user interaction capability for navigating and executing the various features of the television. A “smart TV,” sometimes referred to as a connected TV, or hybrid TV (not to be confused with IPTV, Internet TV, or with Web TV), describes a trend of integration of the Internet and Web 2.0 features into television sets and set-top boxes, as well as the technological convergence between computers and these television sets/set-top boxes. The smart TV devices have a higher focus on online interactive media, Internet TV, over-the-top content, as well as on-demand streaming media, and less focus on traditional broadcast media than traditional television sets and set-top boxes. As can be appreciated, the Intelligent TV encompasses a broader range of technology than that of the smart TV defined above. 
         [0028]    The term “television” is a telecommunication medium, device (or set) or set of associated devices, programming, and/or transmission for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome (black-and-white) or colored, with or without accompanying sound. Different countries use one of the three main video standards for TVs, namely PAL, NTSC or SECAM. Television is most commonly used for displaying broadcast television signals. The broadcast television system is typically disseminated via radio transmissions on designated channels in the 54-890 MHz frequency band. A common television set comprises multiple internal electronic circuits, including those for receiving and decoding broadcast signals. A visual display device which lacks a tuner is properly called a video monitor, rather than a television. A television may be different from other monitors or displays based on the distance maintained between the user and the television when the user watches the media and based on the inclusion of a tuner or other electronic circuit to receive the broadcast television signal. 
         [0029]    The term “Live TV,” as used herein, refers to a television production broadcast in real-time, as events happen, in the present. 
         [0030]    The term “standard-definition television” (SDTV) is a television system that uses a resolution that is not considered to be either high-definition television (HDTV 720p and 1080p) or enhanced-definition television (EDTV 480p). The two common SDTV signal types are 576i, with 576 interlaced lines of resolution, derived from the European-developed PAL and SECAM systems; and 480i based on the American National Television System Committee NTSC system. In the US, digital SDTV is broadcast in the same 4:3 aspect ratio as NTSC signals. However, in other parts of the world that used the PAL or SECAM analog standards, standard-definition television is now usually shown with a 16:9 aspect ratio. Standards that support digital SDTV broadcast include DVB, ATSC and ISDB. Television signals are transmitted in digital form, and their pixels have a rectangular shape, as opposed to square pixels that are used in modern computer monitors and modern implementations of HDTV. The table below summarizes pixel aspect ratios for various kinds of SDTV video signal. Note that the actual image (be it 4:3 or 16:9) is always contained in the center 704 horizontal pixels of the digital frame, regardless of how many horizontal pixels (704 or 720) are used. In case of digital video signal having 720 horizontal pixels, only the center 704 pixels contain actual 4:3 or 16:9 image, and the 8 pixel wide stripes from either side are called nominal analogue blanking and should be discarded before displaying the image. Nominal analogue blanking should not be confused with overscan, as overscan areas are part of the actual 4:3 or 16:9 image. 
         [0031]    The term “video on demand (VOD),” as used herein, refers to systems and processes which allow users to select and watch/listen to video or audio content on demand. VOD systems may stream content, to view the content in real time, or download the content to a storage medium for viewing at a later time. 
         [0032]    The term “satellite positioning system receiver” refers to a wireless receiver or transceiver to receive and/or send location signals from and/or to a satellite positioning system, such as the Global Positioning System (“GPS”) (US), GLONASS (Russia), Galileo positioning system (EU), Compass navigation system (China), and Regional Navigational Satellite System (India). 
         [0033]    The term “display,” as used herein, refers to at least a portion of a screen used to display the output of the television to a user. A display may be a single-screen display or a multi-screen display, referred to as a composite display. A composite display can encompass the touch sensitive display of one or more screens. A single physical screen can include multiple displays that are managed as separate logical displays. Thus, different content can be displayed on the separate displays although part of the same physical screen. 
         [0034]    The term “displayed image,” as used herein, refers to an image produced on the display. A typical displayed image is a television broadcast or menu. The displayed image may occupy all or a portion of the display. 
         [0035]    The term “display orientation,” as used herein, refers to the way in which a rectangular display is oriented by a user for viewing. The two most common types of display orientation are portrait and landscape. In landscape mode, the display is oriented such that the width of the display is greater than the height of the display (such as a 4:3 ratio, which is 4 units wide and 3 units tall, or a 16:9 ratio, which is 16 units wide and 9 units tall). Stated differently, the longer dimension of the display is oriented substantially horizontal in landscape mode while the shorter dimension of the display is oriented substantially vertical. In the portrait mode, by contrast, the display is oriented such that the width of the display is less than the height of the display. Stated differently, the shorter dimension of the display is oriented substantially horizontal in the portrait mode while the longer dimension of the display is oriented substantially vertical. 
         [0036]    The term “module,” as used herein, refers to any known or later developed hardware, software, firmware, artificial intelligence, fuzzy logic, or combination of hardware and software that is capable of performing the functionality associated with that element. 
         [0037]    The terms “determine,” “calculate” and “compute,” and variations thereof, as used herein, are used interchangeably and include any type of methodology, process, mathematical operation or technique. 
         [0038]    The term “touch screen” or “touchscreen” refer to screen that can receive user contact or other tactile input, such as a stylus. The touch screen may sense user contact in a number of different ways, such as by a change in an electrical parameter (e.g., resistance or capacitance), acoustic wave variations, infrared radiation proximity detection, light variation detection, and the like. In a resistive touch screen, for example, normally separated conductive and resistive metallic layers in the screen pass an electrical current. When a user touches the screen, the two layers make contact in the contacted location, whereby a change in electrical field is noted and the coordinates of the contacted location calculated. In a capacitive touch screen, a capacitive layer stores electrical charge, which is discharged to the user upon contact with the touch screen, causing a decrease in the charge of the capacitive layer. The decrease is measured, and the contacted location coordinates determined. In a surface acoustic wave touch screen, an acoustic wave is transmitted through the screen, and the acoustic wave is disturbed by user contact. A receiving transducer detects the user contact instance and determines the contacted location coordinates. 
         [0039]    The term “web television” is original television content produced for broadcast via the World Wide Web. Some major distributors of web television are YouTube, Myspace, Newgrounds, Blip.tv, and Crackle. 
         [0040]    The terms “instant message” and “instant messaging” refer to a form of real-time text communication between two or more people, typically based on typed text. 
         [0041]    The term “internet search engine” refers to a web search engine designed to search for information on the World Wide Web and FTP servers. The search results are generally presented in a list of results often referred to as SERFS, or “search engine results pages”. The information may consist of web pages, images, information and other types of files. Some search engines also mine data available in databases or open directories. Web search engines work by storing information about many web pages, which they retrieve from the html itself. These pages are retrieved by a Web crawler (sometimes also known as a spider)—an automated Web browser which follows every link on the site. The contents of each page are then analyzed to determine how it should be indexed (for example, words are extracted from the titles, headings, or special fields called meta tags). Data about web pages are stored in an index database for use in later queries. Some search engines, such as Google™, store all or part of the source page (referred to as a cache) as well as information about the web pages, whereas others, such as AltaVista™, store every word of every page they find. 
         [0042]    The terms “online community”, “e-community”, or “virtual community” mean a group of people that primarily interact via a computer network, rather than face to face, for social, professional, educational or other purposes. The interaction can use a variety of media formats, including wikis, blogs, chat rooms, Internet forums, instant messaging, email, and other forms of electronic media. Many media formats are used in social software separately or in combination, including text-based chatrooms and forums that use voice, video text or avatars. 
         [0043]    The term “remote control” refers to a component of an electronics device, most commonly a television set, DVD player and/or home theater system for operating the device wirelessly, typically from a short line-of-sight distance. Remote control normally uses infrared and/or radio frequency (RF) signaling and can include WiFi, wireless USB, Bluetooth™ connectivity, motion sensor enabled capabilities and/or voice control. A touchscreen remote control is a handheld remote control device which uses a touchscreen user interface to replace most of the hard, built-in physical buttons used in normal remote control devices. 
         [0044]    The term “satellite TV” refers to television programming delivered by the means of communications satellites and received by an outdoor antenna, usually a parabolic reflector generally referred to as a satellite dish, and as far as household usage is concerned, a satellite receiver either in the form of an external set-top box or a satellite tuner module built into a TV set. 
         [0045]    The term “social network service” is a service provider that builds online communities of people, who share interests and/or activities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others. Most social network services are web-based and provide a variety of ways for users to interact, such as e-mail and instant messaging services. 
         [0046]    The term “social network” refers to a web-based social network. 
         [0047]    The term “gesture” refers to a user action that expresses an intended idea, action, meaning, result, and/or outcome. The user action can include manipulating a device (e.g., opening or closing a device, changing a device orientation, moving a trackball or wheel, etc.), movement of a body part in relation to the device, movement of an implement or tool in relation to the device, audio inputs, etc. A gesture may be made on a device (such as on the screen) or with the device to interact with the device. 
         [0048]    The term “gesture capture” refers to a sense or otherwise a detection of an instance and/or type of user gesture. The gesture capture can occur in one or more areas of the screen. A gesture region can be on the display, where it may be referred to as a touch sensitive display or off the display where it may be referred to as a gesture capture area. 
         [0049]    The term “electronic address” refers to any contactable address, including a telephone number, instant message handle, e-mail address, Universal Resource Locator (URL), Universal Resource Identifier (URI), Address of Record (AOR), electronic alias in a database, like addresses, and combinations thereof. 
         [0050]    It shall be understood that the term “means,” as used herein, shall be given its broadest possible interpretation in accordance with 35 U.S.C., Section 112(f). Accordingly, a claim incorporating the term “means” shall cover all structures, materials, or acts set forth herein, and all of the equivalents thereof. Further, the structures, materials or acts and the equivalents thereof shall include all those described in the summary of the invention, brief description of the drawings, detailed description, abstract, and claims themselves. 
         [0051]    The preceding is a simplified summary of the disclosure to provide an understanding of some aspects of the disclosure. This summary is neither an extensive nor exhaustive overview of the disclosure and its various aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations. It is intended neither to identify key or critical elements of the disclosure nor to delineate the scope of the disclosure but to present selected concepts of the disclosure in a simplified form as an introduction to the more detailed description presented below. As will be appreciated, other aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations of the disclosure are possible utilizing, alone or in combination, one or more of the features set forth above or described in detail below. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0052]      FIG. 1A  includes a first view of an embodiment of an environment of an intelligent television; 
           [0053]      FIG. 1B  includes a second view of an embodiment of an environment of an intelligent television; 
           [0054]      FIG. 2A  includes a first view of an embodiment of an intelligent television; 
           [0055]      FIG. 2B  includes a second view of an embodiment of an intelligent television; 
           [0056]      FIG. 2C  includes a third view of an embodiment of an intelligent television; 
           [0057]      FIG. 2D  includes a fourth view of an embodiment of an intelligent television; 
           [0058]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram of an embodiment of the hardware of an intelligent television; 
           [0059]      FIG. 4  is a block diagram of an embodiment of the intelligent television software and/or firmware; 
           [0060]      FIG. 5  is a second block diagram of an embodiment of the intelligent television software and/or firmware; 
           [0061]      FIG. 6  is a third block diagram of an embodiment of the intelligent television software and/or firmware; 
           [0062]      FIG. 7  is a plan view of an embodiment of a handheld remote control; 
           [0063]      FIG. 8  is a side view of an embodiment of a remote control; 
           [0064]      FIG. 9A  is a bottom view of an embodiment of a remote control with a joystick in a neutral position; 
           [0065]      FIG. 9B  is a bottom view of an embodiment of a remote control with the joystick in a lower position; 
           [0066]      FIG. 9C  is a bottom view of an embodiment of a remote control with the joystick in an upper position; 
           [0067]      FIG. 10  is a plan view of another embodiment of a handheld remote control; 
           [0068]      FIG. 11A  is a front view of an embodiment of an Intelligent TV screen; 
           [0069]      FIG. 11B  is a front view of an embodiment of an Intelligent TV screen; 
           [0070]      FIG. 11C  is a front view of an embodiment of an Intelligent TV screen; 
           [0071]      FIG. 12  is a block diagram of an embodiment of a handheld remote control of either  FIG. 7  or  10 ; 
           [0072]      FIG. 13  is a block diagram of an embodiment of a content data service; 
           [0073]      FIG. 14  is a block diagram of an embodiment of intelligent TV with user statistics reporting; 
           [0074]      FIG. 15  is a block diagram of an embodiment of one application with a statistics interface; 
           [0075]      FIG. 16  is an embodiment of components providing services associated with reporting functions; and 
           [0076]      FIG. 17  illustrates a flowchart for generating usage reports. 
       
    
    
       [0077]    In the appended figures, similar components and/or features may have the same reference label. Further, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label by a letter that distinguishes among the similar components. If only the first reference label is used in the specification, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components having the same first reference label irrespective of the second reference label. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0078]    Presented herein are embodiments of a device. The device can be a network-enabled telecommunications device, such as a television, an electronic visual display device, or other smart device. The device can include one or more screens, or sections of a screen, that are configured to receive and present information from a number of sources. Further, the device can receive user input in unique ways. The overall design and functionality of the device provides for an enhanced user experience making the device more useful and more efficient. 
         [0079]    Intelligent Television (TV) Environment: 
         [0080]    Referring to  FIGS. 1A and 1B , an Intelligent TV, or device,  100  is shown. It is anticipated that the Intelligent TV  100  may be used for entertainment, business applications, social interaction, content creation and/or consumption, and to organize and control one or more other devices that are in communication with the Intelligent TV  100 . As can be appreciated, the Intelligent TV  100  can be used to enhance the user interactive experience whether at home or at work. 
         [0081]    In some embodiments, the Intelligent TV  100  may be configured to receive and understand a variety of user and/or device inputs. For example, a user may interface with the Intelligent TV  100  via one or more physical or electrical controls, such as buttons, switches, touch sensitive screens/regions (e.g., capacitive touch, resistive touch, etc.), and/or other controls associated with the Intelligent TV  100 . In some cases, the Intelligent TV  100  may include the one or more interactive controls. Additionally or alternatively, the one or more controls may be associated with a remote control. The remote control may communicate with the Intelligent TV  100  via wired and/or wireless signals. As can be appreciated, the remote control may operate via radio frequency (RF), infrared (IR), and/or a specific wireless communications protocol (e.g., Bluetooth™, Wi-Fi, etc.). In some cases, the controls, whether physical or electrical, may be configured (e.g., programmed) to suit a user&#39;s preferences. 
         [0082]    Additionally or alternatively, smart phones, tablets, computers, laptops, netbooks, and other smart devices may be used to control the Intelligent TV  100 . For example, control of the Intelligent TV  100  may be achieved via an application running on a smart device. The application may be configured to present a user with various Intelligent TV  100  controls in an intuitive user interface (UI) on a screen associated with the device  100 . The screen may be a touch sensitive, or touch screen, display. Selections input by a user via the UI may be configured to control the Intelligent TV  100  by the application accessing one or more communication features associated with the smart device. 
         [0083]    It is anticipated that the Intelligent TV  100  can receive input via various input devices including, but in no way limited to, video, audio, radio, light, tactile, and combinations thereof. Among other things, these input devices may be configured to allow the Intelligent TV  100  to see, recognize, and react to user gestures. For instance, a user may talk to the Intelligent TV  100  in a conversational manner. The Intelligent TV  100  may hear and understand voice commands in a manner similar to a smart device&#39;s intelligent personal assistant and voice-controlled navigator application (e.g., Apple&#39;s Siri, Android&#39;s Skyvi, Robin, Iris, and other applications). 
         [0084]    The Intelligent TV  100  may also be a communications device which can establish network connections  104  through many alternate means, including wired  108  or wireless  112  means, over cellular networks  116  to connect via cellular base antenna  142  to telephone networks operated by telephone company  146 , and by using a telephone line  120  to connect to telephone networks operated by telephone company  146 . These connections  104  enable the Intelligent TV  100  to access one or more communication networks  132 . The communication networks may comprise any type of known communication medium or collection of communication media and may use any type of protocols to transport messages or signals between endpoints. The communication networks may include wired and/or wireless communication technologies. The Internet is an example of a communication network  132  that constitutes an Internet Protocol (IP) network consisting of many computers, computing networks, and other communication devices located all over the world, which are connected through many telephone systems and other means. 
         [0085]    Other examples of the communication network  132  include, without limitation, a standard Plain Old Telephone System (POTS), an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a Local Area Network (LAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a cellular network, and any other type of packet-switched or circuit-switched network known in the art. In addition, it can be appreciated that the communication network  132  need not be limited to any one network type, and instead may be comprised of a number of different networks and/or network types. 
         [0086]    In some embodiments, the Intelligent TV  100  may be equipped with multiple communication means. The multiple communication means may allow the Intelligent TV  100  to communicate across Local Area Networks (LANs)  124 , wireless local area networks (WLANs)  128 , and other networks  132 . The networks  132  may be connected in a redundant manner to ensure network access. In other words, if one connection is interrupted, the intelligent TV  100  can use an alternate communications path to reestablish and/or maintain the network connection  104 . Among other things, the Intelligent TV  100  may use these network connections  104  to send and receive information, interact with an electronic program guide (EPG)  136 , receive software updates  140 , contact customer service  144  (e.g., to receive help or service, etc.), and/or access remotely stored digital media libraries  148 . In addition, these connections can allow the Intelligent TV  100  to make phone calls, send and/or receive email messages, send and/or receive text messages (such as email and instant messages), surf the Internet using an internet search engine, post blogs by a blogging service, and connect/interact with social media sites and/or an online community (e.g., Facebook™, Twitter™, LinkedIn™, Pinterest™, Google+™, MySpace™, and the like) maintained by a social network service. In combination with other components of the Intelligent TV  100  described in more detail below, these network connections  104  also enable the Intelligent TV  100  to conduct video teleconferences, electronic meetings, and other communications. The Intelligent TV  100  may capture and store images and sound, using associated cameras, microphones, and other sensors. Additionally or alternatively, the Intelligent TV  100  may create and save screen shots of media, images, and data displayed on a screen associated with the Intelligent TV I  00 . 
         [0087]    Further, as shown in  FIG. 1B , the Intelligent TV  100  can interact with other electronic devices  168  by either by the wired  108  and/or wireless  112  connections. As described herein, components of the Intelligent TV  100  allow the device  100  to be connected to devices  168  including, but not limited to, DVD players  168   a , BluRay players  168   b , portable digital media devices  168   c , smart phones  168   d , tablet devices  168   e , personal computers  168   f , external cable boxes  168   g , keyboards  168   h , pointing devices  168   i , printers  168   j , game controllers and/or game pads  168   k , satellite dishes  168   l , external display devices  168   m , and other universal serial bus (USB), local area network (LAN), Bluetooth™, or high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) compliant devices, and/or wireless devices. When connected to an external cable box  168   g  or satellite dish  168   l , the Intelligent TV  100  can access additional media content. Also, as further described below, the Intelligent TV  100  is capable of receiving digital and/or analog signals broadcast by TV stations. The Intelligent TV  100  can be configured as one or more of a standard-definition television, enhanced television, and high-definition television. It may operate as one or more of cable, Internet, Internet Protocol, satellite, web, and/or smart television. The Intelligent TV  100  may also be used to control the operation of, and may interface with, other smart components such as security systems  172 , door/gate controllers  176 , remote video cameras  180 , lighting systems  184 , thermostats  188 , refrigerators  192 , and other appliances. 
         [0088]    Intelligent TV: 
         [0089]      FIGS. 2A-2D  illustrate components of the Intelligent TV  100 . In general, as shown by  FIG. 2A , the Intelligent TV  100  can be supported by a removable base or stand  204  that is attached to a frame  208 . The frame  208  surrounds edges of a display screen  212 , leaving a front surface of the display screen  212  uncovered. The display screen  212  may comprise a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) screen, a plasma screen, Light Emitting Diode (LED) screen, or other screen types. In embodiments, the entire front surface of the screen  212  may be touch sensitive and capable of receiving input by the user touching the front surface of the screen  212 . 
         [0090]    The Intelligent TV  100  may include integrated speakers  216  and at least one microphone  220 . A first area of the frame  208  may comprise a horizontal gesture capture region  224  and second areas comprise vertical gesture capture regions  228 . The gesture capture regions  224 ,  228  may comprise areas or regions that are capable of receiving input by recognizing gestures made by the user, and in some examples, without the need for the user to actually touch the screen  212  surface of the Intelligent TV  100 . However, the gesture capture regions  224 ,  228  may not include pixels that can perform a display function or capability. 
         [0091]    One or more image capture devices  232 , such as a camera, can be included for capturing still and/or video images. The image capture device  232  can include or be associated with additional elements, such as a flash or other light source  236  and a range finding device  240  to assist focusing of the image capture device. In addition, the microphone  220 , gesture capture regions  224 ,  228 , image capture devices  232 , and the range finding device  240  may be used by the Intelligent TV  100  to recognize individual users. Additionally or alternatively, the Intelligent TV  100  may learn and remember preferences associated with the individual users. In some embodiments, the learning and remembering (i.e., identifying and recalling stored information) may be associated with the recognition of a user. 
         [0092]    An IR transmitter and receiver  244  may also be provided to connect the Intelligent TV  100  with a remote control device (not shown) or other IR devices. Additionally or alternatively, the remote control device may transmit wireless signals via RF, light, and/or a means other than IR. Also shown in  FIG. 2A  is an audio jack  248 , which may be hidden behind a panel that is hinged or removable. The audio jack  248  accommodates a tip, ring, sleeve (TRS) connector, for example, to allow the user to utilize headphones, a headset, or other external audio equipment. 
         [0093]    The Intelligent TV  100  can also include a number of buttons  252 . For example,  FIG. 2A  illustrates the buttons  252  on the top of the Intelligent TV  100 , although the buttons could be placed at other locations. As shown, the Intelligent TV  100  includes six buttons  252   a - f , which can be configured for specific inputs. For example, the first button  252   a  may be configured as an on/off button used to control overall system power to the Intelligent TV  100 . The buttons  252  may be configured to, in combination or alone, control a number of aspects of the Intelligent TV  100 . Some non-limiting examples include, but are not limited to, overall system volume, brightness, the image capture device, the microphone, and initiation/termination of a video conference. Instead of separate buttons, two of the buttons may be combined into a rocker button. This rocker button arrangement may be useful in situations where the buttons are configured to control features such as volume or brightness. In some embodiments, one or more of the buttons  252  are capable of supporting different user commands. By way of example, a normal press has a duration commonly of less than about 1 second and resembles a quick input. A medium press has a duration commonly of 1 second or more but less than about 12 seconds. A long press has a duration commonly of about 12 seconds or more. The function of the buttons is normally specific to the application that is active on the Intelligent TV  100 . In the video conference application for instance and depending on the particular button, a normal, medium, or long press can mean end the video conference, increase or decrease the volume, increase a rate speed associated with a response to an input, and toggle microphone mute. Depending on the particular button, a normal, medium, or long press can also control the image capture device  232  to increase zoom, decrease zoom, take a photograph, or record video. 
         [0094]    In support of communications functions or capabilities, the Intelligent TV  100  can include one or more shared or dedicated antennae  256  and wired broadband connections  260  as shown in  FIG. 2B . The antennae  256  also enable the Intelligent TV  100  to receive digital and/or analog broadcast TV channels. The wired broadband connections  260  are, for example, a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), an optical line, an Ethernet port, an IEEE 1394 interface, or other interfaces. The Intelligent TV  100  also has a telephone line jack  262  to further provide communications capability. 
         [0095]    In addition to the removable base  204 , the Intelligent TV  100  may include hardware and mounting points  264  on a rear surface to facilitate mounting the Intelligent TV  100  to a surface, such as a wall. In one example, the Intelligent TV  100  may incorporate at least one Video Equipment Standards Association (VESA) mounting interface for attaching the device  100  to the surface. 
         [0096]    As shown in  FIG. 2C , the Intelligent TV  100  may include docking interfaces or ports  268 . The docking ports  268  may include proprietary or universal ports to support the interconnection of the Intelligent TV  100  to other devices or components, which may or may not include additional or different capabilities from those integral to the Intelligent TV  100 . In addition to supporting an exchange of communication signals between the Intelligent TV  100  and a connected device or component, the docking ports  268  can support the supply of power to the connected device or component. The docking ports  268  can also comprise an intelligent element that comprises a docking module for controlling communications or other interactions between the Intelligent TV  100  and the connected device or component. 
         [0097]    The Intelligent TV  100  also includes a number of card slots  272  and network or peripheral interface ports  276 . The card slots  272  may accommodate different types of cards including subscriber identity modules (SIM), secure digital (SD) cards, MiniSD cards, flash memory cards, and other cards. Ports  276  in embodiments may include input/output (I/O) ports, such as universal serial bus (USB) ports, parallel ports, game ports, and high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) connectors. 
         [0098]    An audio/video (A/V) I/O module  280  can be included to provide audio to an interconnected speaker or other device, and to receive audio input from a connected microphone or other device. As an example, the audio input/output interface  280  may comprise an associated amplifier and analog-to-digital converter. 
         [0099]    Hardware Features: 
         [0100]      FIG. 3  illustrates components of an Intelligent TV  100  in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. In general, the Intelligent TV  100  includes a primary screen  304 . Screen  304  can be a touch sensitive screen and can include different operative areas. 
         [0101]    For example, a first operative area, within the screen  304 , may comprise a display  310 . In some embodiments, the display  310  may be touch sensitive. In general, the display  310  may comprise a full color, display. 
         [0102]    A second area within the screen  304  may comprise a gesture capture region  320 . The gesture capture region  320  may comprise an area or region that is outside of the display  310  area, and that is capable of receiving input, for example in the form of gestures provided by a user. However, the gesture capture region  320  does not include pixels that can perform a display function or capability. 
         [0103]    A third region of the screen  304  may comprise a configurable area  312 . The configurable area  312  is capable of receiving input and has display or limited display capabilities. In embodiments, the configurable area  312  may present different input options to the user. For example, the configurable area  312  may display buttons or other relatable items. Moreover, the identity of displayed buttons, or whether any buttons are displayed at all within the configurable area  312  of a screen  304 , may be determined from the context in which the Intelligent TV  100  is used and/or operated. 
         [0104]    In an exemplary touch sensitive screen  304  embodiment, the touch sensitive screen  304  comprises a liquid crystal display extending across at least those regions of the touch sensitive screen  304  that are capable of providing visual output to a user, and a capacitive input matrix over those regions of the touch sensitive screen  304  that are capable of receiving input from the user. 
         [0105]    One or more display controllers  316  may be provided for controlling the operation of the screen  304 . The display controller  316  may control the operation of the touch sensitive screen  304 , including input (touch sensing) and output (display) functions. The display controller  316  may also control the operation of the screen  304  and may interface with other inputs, such as infrared and/or radio input signals (e.g., door/gate controllers, alarm system components, etc.). In accordance with still other embodiments, the functions of a display controller  316  may be incorporated into other components, such as a processor  364 . 
         [0106]    The processor  364  may comprise a general purpose programmable processor or controller for executing application programming or instructions. In accordance with at least some embodiments, the processor  364  may include multiple processor cores, and/or implement multiple virtual processors. In accordance with still other embodiments, the processor  364  may include multiple physical processors. As a particular example, the processor  364  may comprise a specially configured application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or other integrated circuit, a digital signal processor, a controller, a hardwired electronic or logic circuit, a programmable logic device or gate array, a special purpose computer, or the like. The processor  364  generally functions to run programming code or instructions implementing various functions of the Intelligent TV  100 . 
         [0107]    In support of connectivity functions or capabilities, the Intelligent TV  100  can include a module for encoding/decoding and/or compression/decompression  366  for receiving and managing digital television information. Encoding/decoding compression/decompression module  366  enables decompression and/or decoding of analog and/or digital information dispatched by a public television chain or in a private television network and received across antenna  324 , I/O module  348 , wireless connectivity module  328 , and/or other wireless communications module  332 . The television information may be sent to screen  304  and/or attached speakers receiving analog or digital reception signals. Any encoding/decoding and compression/decompression is performable on the basis of various formats (e.g., audio, video, and data). Encrypting module  368  is in communication with encoding/decoding compression/decompression module  366  and enables the confidentiality of all the data received or transmitted by the user or supplier. 
         [0108]    In support of communications functions or capabilities, the Intelligent TV  100  can include a wireless connectivity module  328 . As examples, the wireless connectivity module  328  can comprise a GSM, CDMA, FDMA and/or analog cellular telephony transceiver capable of supporting voice, multimedia and/or data transfers over a cellular network. Alternatively or in addition, the Intelligent TV  100  can include an additional or other wireless communications module  332 . As examples, the other wireless communications module  332  can comprise a Wi-Fi, Blutooth™, WiMax, infrared, or other wireless communications link. The wireless connectivity module  328  and the other wireless communications module  332  can each be associated with a shared or a dedicated antenna  324  and a shared or dedicated I/O module  348 . 
         [0109]    An input/output module  348  and associated ports may be included to support communications over wired networks or links, for example with other communication devices, server devices, and/or peripheral devices. Examples of an input/output module  348  include an Ethernet port, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, Thunderbolt™ or Light Peak interface, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1394 port, or other interface. 
         [0110]    An audio input/output interface/device(s)  344  can be included to provide analog audio to an interconnected speaker or other device, and to receive analog audio input from a connected microphone or other device. As an example, the audio input/output interface/device(s)  344  may comprise an associated amplifier and analog-to-digital converter. Alternatively or in addition, the Intelligent TV  100  can include an integrated audio input/output device  356  and/or an audio jack for interconnecting an external speaker or microphone. For example, an integrated speaker and an integrated microphone can be provided, to support near talk or speaker phone operations. 
         [0111]    A port interface  352  may be included. The port interface  352  may include proprietary or universal ports to support the interconnection of the device  100  to other devices or components, such as a dock, which may or may not include additional or different capabilities from those integral to the device  100 . In addition to supporting an exchange of communication signals between the device  100  and another device or component, the docking port  136  and/or port interface  352  can support the supply of power to or from the device  100 . The port interface  352  also comprises an intelligent element that comprises a docking module for controlling communications or other interactions between the Intelligent TV  100  and a connected device or component. The docking module may interface with software applications that allow for the remote control of other devices or components (e.g., media centers, media players, and computer systems). 
         [0112]    An Intelligent TV  100  may also include memory  308  for use in connection with the execution of application programming or instructions by the processor  364 , and for the temporary or long term storage of program instructions and/or data. As examples, the memory  308  may comprise RAM, DRAM, SDRAM, or other solid state memory. Alternatively or in addition, data storage  314  may be provided. Like the memory  308 , the data storage  314  may comprise a solid state memory device or devices. Alternatively or in addition, the data storage  314  may comprise a hard disk drive or other random access memory. 
         [0113]    Hardware buttons  358  can be included for example for use in connection with certain control operations. One or more image capture interfaces/devices  340 , such as a camera, can be included for capturing still and/or video images. Alternatively or in addition, an image capture interface/device  340  can include a scanner, code reader, or motion sensor. An image capture interface/device  340  can include or be associated with additional elements, such as a flash or other light source. The image capture interfaces/devices  340  may interface with a user ID module  350  that assists in identifying users of the Intelligent TV  100 . 
         [0114]    The Intelligent TV  100  can also include a global positioning system (GPS) receiver  336 . In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, the GPS receiver  336  may further comprise a GPS module that is capable of providing absolute location information to other components of the Intelligent TV  100 . As will be appreciated, other satellite-positioning system receivers can be used in lieu of or in addition to GPS. 
         [0115]    Power can be supplied to the components of the Intelligent TV  100  from a power source and/or power control module  360 . The power control module  360  can, for example, include a battery, an AC-to-DC converter, power control logic, and/or ports for interconnecting the Intelligent TV  100  to an external source of power. 
         [0116]    Communication between components of the Intelligent TV  100  is provided by bus  322 . Bus  322  may comprise one or more physical buses for control, addressing, and/or data transmission. Bus  322  may be parallel, serial, a hybrid thereof, or other technology. 
         [0117]    Firmware and Software: 
         [0118]    An embodiment of the software system components and modules  400  is shown in  FIG. 4 . The software system  400  may comprise one or more layers including, but not limited to, an operating system kernel  404 , one or more libraries  408 , an application framework  412 , and one or more applications  416 . The one or more layers  404 - 416  can communicate with each other to perform functions for the Intelligent TV  100 . 
         [0119]    An operating system (OS) kernel  404  contains the primary functions that allow the software to interact with hardware associated with the Intelligent TV  100 . Kernel  404  can include a collection of software that manages the computer hardware resources and provides services for other computer programs or software code. The operating system kernel  404  is the main component of the operating system and acts as an intermediary between the applications and data processing done with the hardware components. Part of the operating system kernel  404  can include one or more device drivers  420 . A device driver  420  can be any code within the operating system that helps operate or control a device or hardware attached to or associated with the Intelligent TV. The driver  420  can include code for operating video, audio, and/or other multimedia components of the Intelligent TV  100 . Examples of drivers include display, camera, flash, binder (IPC), keypad, WiFi, and audio drivers. 
         [0120]    Library  408  can contain code or other components that may be accessed and implemented during the operation of the software system  400 . The library  408  may contain one or more of, but is not limited to, an operating system runtime library  424 , a TV services hardware abstraction layer (HAL) library  428 , and/or a data service library  432 . The OS runtime library  424  may contain the code required by the operating system kernel  404  or other operating system functions to be executed during the runtime of the software system  400 . The library can include the code that is initiated during the running of the software system  400 . 
         [0121]    The TV services hardware abstraction layer library  428  can include code required by TV services either executed in the application framework  412  or an application  416 . The TV services HAL library  428  is specific to the Intelligent TV  100  operations that control different functions of the Intelligent TV. The TV service HAL library  428  can also be formed from other types of application languages or embodiments of different types of code or formats for code beyond the hardware abstraction layer. 
         [0122]    The data services library  432  can include the one or more components or codes to implement components for the data services function. The data services function can be implemented in the application framework  412  and/or applications layer  416 . An embodiment of a function of the data services and the type of components that may be included is shown in  FIG. 6 . 
         [0123]    The application framework  412  can include a general abstraction for providing functionality that can be selected by one or more applications  416  to provide specific application functions or software for those applications. Thus, the framework  412  can include one or more different services, or other applications, that can be accessed by the applications  416  to provide general functions across two or more applications. Such functions include, for example, management of one or more of windows or panels, surfaces, activities, content, and resources, The application framework  412  can include one or more, but is not limited to, TV services  434 , TV services framework  440 , TV resources  444 , and user interface components  448 . 
         [0124]    The TV services framework  440  can provide an additional abstraction for different TV services. TV services framework  440  allows for the general access and function of services that are associated with the TV functionality. The TV services  436  are general services provided within the TV services framework  440  that can be accessed by applications in the applications layer  416 . The TV resources  444  provide code for accessing TV resources  444  including any types of storage, video, audio, or other functionality provided with the Intelligent TV  100 . The TV resources  444 , TV services  436 , and TV services framework  440  provide for the different implementations of TV functionality that may occur with the Intelligent TV  100 . 
         [0125]    One or more user interface components  448  can provide general components for display of the Intelligent TV  100 . The user interface components  448  might be general components that may be accessed by different applications provided in the application framework  412 . The user interface components  448  may be accessed to provide for panels and silos as described in conjunction with  FIG. 5 . 
         [0126]    The applications layer  416  can both contain and execute applications associated with the Intelligent TV  100 . Applications layer  416  may include one or more of, but is not limited to, a live TV application  452 , a video on demand application  456 , a media center application  460 , an application center application  464 , and a user interface application  468 . The live TV application  452  can provide live TV over different signal sources. For example, the live TV application  452  can provide TV from input from cable television, over air broadcasts, from satellite services, or other types of live TV services. Live TV application  452  may then present the multimedia presentation or video and audio presentation of the live television signal over the display of the Intelligent TV  100 . 
         [0127]    The video on demand application  456  can provide for video from different storage sources. Unlike Live TV application  452 , video on demand  456  provides for display of videos that are accessed from some memory source. The sources of the video on demand can be associated with users or with the Intelligent TV or some other type of service. For example, the video on demand  456  may be provided from an iTunes library stored in a cloud, from a local disc storage that contains stored video programs, or from some other source. 
         [0128]    The media center application  460  can provide applications for different types of media presentation. For example, the media center  460  can provide for displaying pictures or audio that is different from, but still accessible by the user and different from live TV or video on demand. The media center  460  allows for the access of different sources to obtain the media in the display of such media on the Intelligent TV  100 . 
         [0129]    The application center  464  allows for the provision, storage and use of applications. An application can be a game, a productivity application, or some other application generally associated with computer systems or other devices, but may be operated within the Intelligent TV. An application center  464  may obtain these applications from different sources, store them locally and then execute those types of applications for the user on the Intelligent TV  100 . 
         [0130]    User interface application  468  provides for the specific user interfaces associated with the Intelligent TV  100 . These user interfaces can include the silos and panels that are described in  FIG. 5 . An embodiment of the user interface software  500  is shown in  FIG. 5 . Here the application framework  412  contains one or more code components which help control the user interface events while one or more applications in the applications layer  416  affects the user interface use for the Intelligent TV  100 . The application framework  412  can include a silo transition controller  504  and/or an input event dispatcher  508 . There may be more or fewer code components in the application framework  412  than those shown in  FIG. 5 . The silo transition controller  504  contains the code and language that manages the transitions between one or more silos. A silo can be a vertical user interface feature on the Intelligent TV that contains information for user. The transition controller  504  can manage the changes between two silos when an event occurs in the user interface. The input event dispatcher  508  can receive user interface events that may be received from the operating system and provided to the input event dispatcher  508 . These events can include selections of buttons on a remote control or on the TV or other types of user interface inputs. The input event dispatcher  508  may then send these events to a silo manager  532  or panel manager  536  depending on the type of the event. The silo transition controller  504  can interface with the silo manager  532  to affect changes in the silos. 
         [0131]    The applications layer  416  can include a user interface application  468  and/or a silo application  512 . The applications layer  416  can include more or fewer user interface applications as necessary to control the user interface of the Intelligent TV  100  than those shown in  FIG. 5 . The user interface application  468  can include a silo manager  532 , a panel manager  536 , and one or more types of panels  516 - 528 . The silo manager  532  manages the display and/or features of silos. The silo manager  532  can receive or send information from the silo transition controller  504  or the input event dispatcher  508  to change the silos displayed and/or to determine types of input received in the silos. 
         [0132]    A panel manager  536  is operable to display panels in the user interface to manage transitions between those panels or to affect user interface inputs received in the panel. The panel manager  536  may thus be in communication with different user interface panels such as a global panel  516 , a volume panel  520 , a settings panel  524 , and/or a notification panel  528 . The panel manager  536  can display these types of panels depending on the inputs received from the input event dispatcher  508 . The global panel  516  may include information that is associated with the home screen or top level hierarchal information for the user. A volume panel  520  may display information about an audio volume control or other settings for volume. A settings panel  524  can include information displayed about the settings of the audio or video, or other settable characteristics of the Intelligent TV  100 . A notification panel  528  can provide information about notifications to a user. These notifications can be associated with information, such as, video on demand displays, favorites, currently provided programs, or other information. Notifications can be associated with the media or with some type of setting, or operation or the Intelligent TV  100 . The panel manager  536  may be in communication with the panel controller  552  of the silo application  512 . 
         [0133]    The panel controller  552  may operate to control portions of the panels of the types described previously. Thus, the panel controller  552  may be in communication with a top panel application  540 , an application panel  544 , and/or bottom panel  548 . These types of panels may be differently displayed in the user interface of the Intelligent TV  100 . The panel control thus may be based on the configuration of the system or the type of display being used currently, put the types of panels  516 - 528  into a certain display orientation governed by the top panel application  540 , application panel  544 , or bottom panel application  548 . 
         [0134]    An embodiment of the data service  432  and the operation of the data management is shown in  FIG. 6 . The data management  600  can include one or more code components that are associated with different types of data. For example, there may be code components within the data service  432  that execute and are associated with video on demand, the electronic program guide, or media data. There may be more or fewer types of data service  432  components than those shown in  FIG. 6 . Each of the different types of data may include a data model  604 - 612 . The data models govern what information is to be stored and how that information will be stored by the data service. Thus, the data model can govern regardless of where the data comes from, how the data will be received or managed within the Intelligent TV system. Thus, the data model  604 ,  608 , and/or  612 , can provide a translation ability or affect the ability to translate data from one form to another to be used by the Intelligent TV  100 . 
         [0135]    The different types of data services (video on demand, electronic programming guide, media) each have a data subservice  620 ,  624 , and/or  628  that is in communication with one or more internal and/or external content providers  616 . The data subservices  620 ,  624 , and  628  that communicate with the content providers  616  to obtain data that may then be stored in databases  632 ,  636 , and  640 . The subservices  620 ,  624 , and  628  may communicate with and initiate or enable one or more source plug-ins  644 ,  648 , and  652  to communicate with the content provider. For each content provider  616 , there may be a different source plug-in  644 ,  648 , and  652 . Thus, if there is more than one source of content for the data, each of the data subservices  620 ,  624 , and  628  may determine and then enable or initiate a different source plug-in  644 ,  648 , and/or  652 . The content providers  616  may also provide information to a resource arbitrator  656  and/or thumbnail cache manager  660 . The resource arbitrator  656  may operate to communicate with resources  664  that are external to the data service  432 . Thus, the resource arbitrator  656  may communicate with cloud based storage, network based storage, or other types of external storage in the resources  664 . This information may then be provided through the content provider module  616  to the data subservices  620 ,  624 ,  628 . Likewise, a thumbnail cache manager  660  may obtain thumbnail information from one of the data subservices  620 ,  624 ,  628  and store that information in the thumbnails database  668 . Further, the thumbnail cache manager  660  may extract or retrieve that information from the thumbnails database  668  to provide to one of the data subservices  620 ,  624 ,  628 . 
         [0136]    An exemplary content aggregation architecture  1300  is shown in  FIG. 13 . The architecture can include a user interface layer  1304  and a content aggregation layer  1308 . The user interface layer  1304  may include a TV application  1312 , media player  1316 , and application(s)  1320 . The TV application  1312  enables the viewer to view channels received via an appropriate transmission medium, such as cable, satellite, and/or the Internet. The media player  1316  views other types of media received via an appropriate transmission medium, such as the Internet. The application(s)  1320  include other TV-related (pre-installed) applications, such as content viewing, content searching, device viewing, and setup algorithms, and coordinates with the media player  1316  to provide information to the viewer. 
         [0137]    The content source layer  1308  includes, as data services, a content source service  1328 , a content aggregation service  1332  and a content presentation service  1336 . The content source service  1328  can manage content source investigators, including local and/or network file system(s), digital network device manager (which discovers handheld and non-handheld devices (e.g., digital media servers, players, renderers, controllers, printers, uploaders, downloaders, network connectivity functions, and interoperability units) by known techniques, such as a multicast universal plug and play or UPnP discovery techniques, and, for each discovered device, retrieves, parses, and encodes device descriptors, notifies the content source service of the newly discovered device, and provides information, such as an index, on previously discovered devices), Internet Protocol Television or IPTV, digital television or DTV (including high definition and enhanced TV), third party services (such as those referenced above), and applications (such as Android applications). 
         [0138]    Content source investigators can track content sources and are typically configured as binaries. The content source service  1328  starts content source investigators and maintains open and persistent channels for communications. The communications include query or command and response pairs. The content aggregation service  1332  can manage content metadata fetchers, such as for video, audio, and/or picture metadata. The content presentation service  1336  may provide interfaces to the content index  1340 , such as an Android application interface and digital device interfaces. 
         [0139]    The content source service  1328  can send and receive communications  1344  to and from the content aggregation service  1332 . The communications can include notifications regarding new and removed digital devices and/or content and search queries and results. The content aggregation service  1332  can send and receive communications  1348  to and from the content presentation service  1336  including device and/or content lookup notifications, content-of-interest advisories and notifications, and search queries and results. 
         [0140]    When a search is performed, particularly when the user is searching or browsing content, a user request may be received from the user interface layer  1300 , by the content presentation service  1336 , which responsively opens a socket and sends the request to the content aggregation service  1332 . The content aggregation service  1332  first returns results from the local database  1340 . The local database  1340  includes an index or data model and indexed metadata. The content source service  1328  further issues search and browse requests for all content source investigators and other data management systems. The results are forwarded to the content aggregation service  1332 , which updates the database  1340  to reflect the further search results and provides the original content aggregation database search results and the data updates, reflecting the additional content source service search results, over the previously opened socket to the content presentation service  1336 . The content presentation service  1336  then provides the results to one or more components in the user interface layer  1300  for presentation to the viewer. When the search session is over (e.g., the search session is terminated by the user or by an action associated with user), the user interface layer  1300  disconnects the socket. As shown, media can be provided directly by the content aggregation service  1332  to the media player  1316  for presentation to the user. 
         [0141]    Remote Control: 
         [0142]    A handheld remote control can be provided to enable user interaction with the Intelligent TV  100 . An exemplary handheld remote control is shown in  FIGS. 7-9 . The remote control  700  can include one or more of, but is not limited to, top, side and bottom housings  704 ,  708 , and  712 , an (on/off) power button  716 , an input source button  720  (to select input source such as Live TV, video on demand, media center, application center, high definition multimedia interface or HDMI, component or COMP, audio/Video or A/V, digital or analog television or DTV/ATV, and video graphics array (VGA)), a (volume) mute button  724 , a Live TV button  728  (to activate or select the Live TV silo), a video on demand (VOD) button  732  (to activate or select the video on demand silo), a media center button  736  (to activate or select the media center application or silo, which access various types of media such as music, TV programming, videos, and the like), an application center button  740  (to activate or select the application center application or silo), a global panel button  744 , an application panel button  748 , a back button  752  (to select a prior user operation or Intelligent TV state and/or navigate up a hierarchy of any displayed image or object(s) (in which case the back button  752  does not navigate within application panels or across application silos), a play button  756  (to play or pause media), a D-pad  760  (which includes north, east, west, and south directional arrows to navigate among displayed images and/or move between levels of an application&#39;s or object&#39;s hierarchy such as application view navigation, panel navigation, and collection navigation), an OK (or select) button  764  (to select a highlighted displayed image (such as displayed speed control, rewind, forward, play, and pause objects and/or objects on menu bar or in a menu box) and/or navigate down a hierarchy of any displayed image or object(s)), a rocker-type volume-up and volume-down button  768  (to adjust the volume), a menu/guide button  772  (to select for display a menu or guide of programming), a 0-9 (number) button  776  (to display a number pad on the TV screen), a settings button  780  (which launches an application to access current and change TV settings (such as channel settings and settings used to adjust picture and sound effects (e.g., image mode (e.g., standard, playground, game, cinema, concert, and studio), brightness, contrast, saturation, color temperature, energy savings, 3D noise reduction, hue, sharpness, zoom mode (e.g., full screen, standard, smart zoom, and dot-to-dot), picture position, 3D mode, for picture, and sound retrieval system or SRS TruSurround, sound mode (e.g., standard, live 1, live 2, theatre, music, speech, user equalizer mode, Left/Right speaker balance, auto volume control, Sony/Philips Interconnect Format or S/PDIF (off, auto, pulse code modulation or PCM) for sound) and system settings (such as system (e.g., selected language for graphical user interface, user geographical and/or geopolitical location information, input method, area settings, and sleep time), network (e.g., WiFi, WiFi hotspot, WiFi direct, Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet or PPPoE (asymmetric digital subscriber line or ADSL), Ethernet) settings (e.g., enabled and disabled and selected and non-selected) and information (e.g., network information (e.g., electronic address such as Internet Protocol or IP address, subnet mask, gateway, domain name server information, domain name, Media Access Control or MAC address, service set identification or SSID, security information, and password information) and inline status), manage applications (e.g., currently installed applications, currently executing applications, and internal and external computer readable medium usage), and view user information regarding the Intelligent TV  100 )), a rocker-type channel-up and channel-down button  784  (to increment or decrement the selected channel), and first, second, third and fourth hotkeys  788 ,  792 ,  794 , and  796 , and/or a moveable joystick  900  on a bottom of the remote control  700 . The first, second, third, and fourth hotkeys are generally assigned different colors, which color indexing is depicted as visual indicia on a selected panel to show the currently assigned function, if any, for each hotkey. As can be seen, the actuator layout can provide a highly efficient, satisfactory, and easily usable experience to the end user. 
         [0143]    Unlike the functional associations and functions of many of the actuators, those of some of the actuators are not readily apparent. A number of examples will now be discussed by way of illustration. 
         [0144]    The media center button  736 , when selected, can provide information regarding music, videos, photographs, collections or groupings of music, videos, and/or photographs, and internal and external computational devices (such as personal computers, laptops, tablet computers, wireless phones, removable computer readable media, and the like), which can be grouped in a selected manner (such as favorites, most recently viewed, most watched or viewed, and most recently added). The information can includes previews (which can include selected portions of the media content, duration, file size, date created, date last watched, times watched or viewed, and audio and/or video format information). 
         [0145]    The application center button  740 , when selected, may provide information regarding pre-installed and downloaded applications. Unlike downloaded applications, pre-installed applications cannot be removed by the user or manually updated. Exemplary pre-installed applications include web browser, settings control, and content search algorithms. By way of illustration, the application center button  740  can provide a scrollable graphical grid of icons (each icon being associated with an application) currently available in the application center. 
         [0146]    The global panel button  744 , when selected, can provide the user, via one or more panels or windows, with access to one or more of, but not limited to, silos, notifications, a web browser, system settings, and/or information associated therewith. For example, the global panel button  744  can enable the user to determine what external devices are currently connected to and/or disconnected from the Intelligent TV  100 , determine what inputs (e.g., HDMI ports) are currently available for connecting to external devices, determine a connection and/or operational status of a selected external device and/or network (e.g., WiFi connected, Ethernet connected, and offline), assign a custom (or user selected) name to each input source, determine what content is currently being offered on Live TV, on demand, the media center, and/or the application center, access vendor messages and notifications to the user (e.g., system and/or application updates are available), activate the Internet browser, and/or access shortcuts on a displayed shortcut bar to more frequently used and desired applications. Common shortcuts are Internet browser (e.g., Internet search engine), system settings, and notifications. The common types of panels are for information (which is typically information related to a currently displayed image and/or content (e.g., title, date/time, audio/visual indicator, rating, and genre), browse requests, and/or search requests (such as search term field)). Each of the panel types may include a panel navigation bar, detailed information or relevant content to the panel function, operation and/or purpose, and a hotkey bar (defining currently enabled functional associations of hotkeys). 
         [0147]    The application panel button  748 , when selected, can display an application window or panel. One application panel may be an information panel regarding a selected (pre-installed or previously downloaded) application icon. The information panel can one or more of identify the selected application, provide a description of the functionality (including application developer and/or vendor, version, release, and/or last update date and a category or type of application based on the application&#39;s functionality) and user ratings and/or degree of other user downloading of the application (e.g., a star rating assigned based on one or more of the foregoing inputs), provide the option to launch, remove, update, and add to favorites the identified application, and provide a listing of selectable links of other (not yet downloaded) recommended applications that provide similar functionality to the identified application. The latter listing can, in turn, provide a description of the functionality (including application developer and/or vendor, version, release, and/or last update date and a category or type of application based on the application&#39;s functionality) and user ratings and/or degree of other user downloading of the application (e.g., a star rating assigned based on one or more of the foregoing inputs). 
         [0148]    The functions of the first, second, third, and fourth hotkeys  788 ,  792 ,  794 , and  796  can change depending on system state, context, and/or, within a selected screen and/or panel, based on a content or currently selected portion of (or relative cursor position on) the screen. Commonly, a currently assigned function of any of the first, second, third, and fourth hotkeys  788 ,  792 ,  794 , and  796  depends on a currently accessed silo and/or panel (with which the user is currently interacting within the silo). In other words, a first function of one of the first, second, third, and fourth hotkeys  788 ,  792 ,  794 , and  796  is activated by the respective hotkey in a first system state while a different second function is activated by the respective hotkey in a different second system state. In another example, a third function of one of the first, second, third, and fourth hotkeys  788 ,  792 ,  794 , and  796  is activated by the respective hotkey when a user focus (or currently selected cursor position or screen portion) is at a first screen position while a different fourth function is activated by the respective hotkey when a user focus (or currently selected cursor position or screen portion) is at a different second screen position. The first screen position can, for instance, be within an icon while the second screen position is outside of the icon. Hotkey functionality that could be enabled when in the first screen position may be “configure” and “remove” and disabled is “add”, and, when in the second position hotkey functionality enabled can be “add” and disabled is “configure” and “remove”. Generally, the states of hotkeys can include normal (for enabled actions or functions), disabled (when an action or function is temporarily disabled), pressed (when selected by a user to command an action or function to be performed), and unavailable (when no association between the hotkey and an action or function is currently available). While examples of hotkey functions are discussed below, it is to be understood that these are not intended to be exhaustive or limiting examples. 
         [0149]    The first hotkey  788 , when selected in a first system state, can enable the user to assign, change, or edit a name of an input source. It is typically enabled only when the input source of HDMI, Comp/YPbPr (e.g., component video cables), video output, and VGA is in focus. When selected in a second system state, the first hotkey  788  can return the user to a top of a scrollable collection of objects, such as application icons. 
         [0150]    The second hotkey  792  may show all or less. In other words, the hotkey  792  can allow the user to show all inputs, including the unconnected/undetected ones and to hide the unconnected/undetected inputs, e.g., to expand and collapse the silo/input list. Each input source can have one of two states, namely connected/detected and unconnected/undetected. Some input sources, including Live TV, video on demand, media center, and application center are always connected/detected. 
         [0151]    The moveable joystick  900  on the bottom of the remote control  700 , when manipulated, can cause a displayed image on the Intelligent TV  100  screen to be displaced a proportional amount. In other words, the displayed image is displaced substantially simultaneously with displacement of the joystick  900  within the joystick aperture  904  in the bottom housing  712  of the remote control. As shown in  FIGS. 9B-C , the joystick  900  moves or slides between forward and reverse positions. Releasing the joystick  900  causes the joystick  900  to return to the center position of  FIG. 9A , and the window to move or slide upwardly (when the joystick is released from the joystick position of  FIG. 9B ) or downwardly (when the joystick is released from the joystick position of  FIG. 9C ) until it disappears from view as shown in  FIG. 11A . The effect on the screen of the Intelligent TV  100  is shown in  FIGS. 11A-C . In  FIG. 11A , video content, such as TV programming, a video, movie, and the like, is being displayed by front surface of the screen  212 . In  FIG. 11B , the joystick  900  is moved or slid to the upper position of  FIG. 9B , and a drop down window or panel  1100  moves or slides down (at the substantially the same rate of joystick  900  movement) at the top of the screen  212 . In  FIG. 11C , the joystick  900  is moved or slid to the lower position of  FIG. 9C , and a drop up window or panel  1100  moves or slides up (at the substantially the same rate of joystick  900  movement) at the bottom of the screen  212 . The window  1100  partially covers the video content appearing on the remainder of the screen  212  and/or causes a portion of the screen  212  displaying video content to move and/or compress up or down the height of the window  1100 . 
         [0152]    The window  1100  can include one or more of information (which is typically information related to a currently displayed image and/or content (e.g., panel navigation bar, detailed information (e.g., title, date/time, audio/visual indicator, rating, and genre), and hotkey bar (defining current functional associations of hotkeys)), browse requests, and/or search requests. Commonly, the window  1100  includes suitable information about the content (such as name, duration, and/or remaining viewing duration of content), settings information, TV or system control information, application (activation) icons (such as for pre-installed and/or downloaded applications such as application center, media center and Web browser), and/or information about input source(s), When the joystick  900  is in either the forward or reverse position, the user can select an actuator on the front of the remote control, such as the OK button  764 , and be taken, by displayed images on the screen  212 , to another location in the user interface, such as a desktop. This process can be done in a nonintrusive manner and without affecting the flow of content that is pushed up or down. The joystick  900  could be moved, additionally or differently, from side-to-side to cause the window to appear at the left or right edge of the screen  212 . 
         [0153]    An alternative actuator configuration is shown in  FIG. 10 . The actuators are substantially the same as those of  FIGS. 7-9  except that the social network button  1000 , when selected, can automatically select content and publish, via a social network service or other social media, the content to a social network or online community. User or viewer comments and/or other messages can be included in the outbound message. For example, all or one or frames or portions of media content (such as a video, music, a photograph, a picture, or text) can be provided automatically to a predetermined or selected group of people via Linked-In™, Myspace™, Twitter™, YouTube™, DailyMotion™, Facebook™, Google+™, or Second Life™. The user, upon activating the button  1000  could, in response, select a social forum or media upon which the selected content (which is the content displayed to the user when the social network button  1000  is activated) is to be posted and/or a predetermined group within that social media to which the content is to be posted. Alternatively, these selections could be preconfigured or preselected by the user. 
         [0154]    The social network button can also be used to “turn up” or “turn down” a social volume visualization. The Intelligent TV  100  can create dynamically a visualization of aggregated connections (and inbound and/or outbound messages) from a variety of social networks. The aggregation (and inbound and outbound messages) can be depicted graphically on the screen as a volume of connections to influence the viewer user. With a social volume visualization, selected contents of each linked social network profile of a social contact (and inbound and/or outbound messages from or to the linked social network contact and/or current activity of the social contact (such as watching the same programming or content the viewer is currently watching) can be presented in a separate tile (or visually displayed object). The size of the tile can be related to any number of criteria, including a relationship of the linked social contact (e.g., a relative degree of importance or type of relationship can determine the relative size of the tile, a degree of influence of the linked social contact to the current viewer, a geographic proximity of the linked social contact to the current viewer, a degree to which the currently provided media content is of interest to both the viewer and linked social contact (e.g., both parties enjoy war movies, murder mysteries, musicals, comedies, and the like), an assigned ranking of the linked viewer by the viewer, a type of social network type linking the viewer with the linked social contact, a current activity of the social network contact (e.g., currently watching the same content that the viewer is currently watching), a current online or offline status of the linked social contact, and a social network grouping type or category to which both the viewer and linked social contact belong (e.g., work contact, best friend, family member, etc.). 
         [0155]    The viewer can designate a portion of the screen to depict the social network aggregation. By turning the social volume up (+) or down (−), the viewer can increase the size and/or numbers of linked contact tiles provided to the viewer. In other words, by increasing the social volume the viewer can view, access, and/or push more social content from those of his or her social networks associated with him or her in a memory of the Intelligent TV. By decreasing the social volume, the viewer can view, access, and/or push less social content from his or her associated social networks. By selecting the mute button  724 , the viewer can stop or pause any interactivity with his or her associated social networks (e.g., inbound or outbound messages). Social volume and/or mute can be separated into two (or more) volume settings for outbound and inbound social network activity. By way of illustration, a first volume setting, control, and/or button can control the volume for outbound social network activity (e.g., outbound social messages) while a second (different) volume setting, control, and/or button can control the volume for inbound social network activity (e.g., inbound social messages). By way of further illustration, a first mute setting, control, and/or button can stop or pause outbound social network activity (e.g., outbound social messages) while a second (different) mute setting, control, and/or button can stop or pause inbound social network activity (e.g., inbound social messages). 
         [0156]    A functional block diagram of the remote control is shown in  FIG. 12 . The remote control  700  includes a controller  1208  to control and supervise remote control operations, optional wireless (RF) transceiver  1224  and antenna  1244  to send and receive wireless signals to and from the Intelligent TV  100  and other external components, optional infrared emitter  1228  to emit infrared signals to the Intelligent TV  100 , optional light emitting diode or LED driver  1232  to control LED operation to provide video-enabled feedback to the user, actuators  1220  (including the various buttons and other actuators discussed above in connection with  FIGS. 7 and 10 ), and joystick  900 , all interconnected via a bus  1248 . An on board power source  1200  and power management module  1204  provide power to each of these components via power circuitry  1240 . The infrared emitter  1228  and receiver (not shown) on the Intelligent TV system  100  can be used to determine a displayed object illuminated by the infrared signal and therefore adjust the displayed image, for example to indicate a focus of the user (e.g., illuminate a displayed object or show cursor position relative to displayed objects on the screen) and to determine and activate a desired command of the user. This can be done by tracking a position of the remote control in relation to infrared tracking reference points (e.g., a sensor bar or infrared LED&#39;s) positioned on or adjacent to the screen of the Intelligent TV  100 . Motion tracking can further be augmented using position information received from a multi-axis gyroscope and/or accelerometer on board the remote control (not shown). 
         [0157]      FIG. 14  is a block diagram of an embodiment of intelligent TV  100  with user statistics reporting. Certain user behaviors may be captured and provided by querying individual applications  416 , as discussed more fully with respect to  FIG. 15 . However, in some embodiments, Intelligent TV  100  has access to, and reports statistics associated with, certain application activity not available from applications  1408 , such as the removal of one or more applications  1408 . 
         [0158]    In one embodiment, applications are removed via application manager  1404  which provides removal services for one or more applications  1408  upon being uninstalled via a user request. As part of a removal, application manager  1404  generates removal statistics, such as the timestamp of the removal and the name or other identifier of the removed applications  1408 . Application manager  1404  may then store statistics associated with removed applications  1408  in database  1406 . In a further embodiment, application manager  1404  may record installation statistics for newly installed applications  1408  whereby such information is then stored and made available in a manner similar to statistics associated with removed applications or as a distinct report. 
         [0159]    Database  1406  may be a distinct data repository and/or a portion of data storage  314 . Reporting function  1402  may then provide report generation services for removed applications  1408  by querying database  1406 . In another embodiment, application manager  1404  manages and maintains its data and reporting functions, such as when reporting function  1402  is incorporated within application manager  1404 . In another embodiment, one or more of reporting function  1402 , application manager  1404  and database  1406  are incorporated within another function of Intelligent TV  100 , such as an instruction within library  408 , application framework  412 , driver  420  or other function operable to maintain data and execute instructions. While querying application manger  1404  for installed application may provide installation statistics, querying other sources, such as the applications  1408  may also be employed to provide installation statistics. 
         [0160]    Applications  1408  are variously embodied and may include, but are not limited to, one or more of applications  416 , such as Live TV  452 , video on demand  456  and media center  460 . In another embodiment, application manager  1404  provides removal services of applications  1408  and records statistics associated with the removal of any removed applications  1408 . Various configurations are contemplated by the embodiments herein. 
         [0161]    As described above, application manager  1404  may provide removal services of applications  1408  and optionally installation services of applications  1408 . In another embodiment, application manger  1404  may be omitted and a querying operation is provided, such as by reporting function  1402 . Reporting function  1402  may periodically survey applications  1408  and record the removal timestamp upon determining that one or more of application  1408  has been removed since the last survey. In a further embodiment, reporting function  1402  may survey applications  1408  to determine the addition of any new applications  1408  and record and/or report the timestamp of the added applications  1408 . 
         [0162]    In yet another embodiment, application manager  1404  and/or another function operable to remove, and optionally install, applications provides database  1406  with removed, and optionally installed, application  1408  statistics. 
         [0163]      FIG. 15  is a block diagram of an embodiment of one application  1408 , in particular application  1408 A, with statistics content provider  1504 . While removal statistics may not be available directly from a removed application  1408 , installed applications  1408  may each be queried for statistics by reporting function  1402 . 
         [0164]    Reporting function  1402  may access the statistics content provider  1504  of application  1408 A and retrieve usage information. Accessing statistics content provider  1504  may be done via application user interface (API)  1502  or other access interface. Usage information may include one or more of installation timestamp, application name, package name, last usage timestamp, cumulative usage, code version, version name, first installed timestamp, last update timestamp, package size, application size, application user-data size and the like. Reporting function  1402  may execute periodically or on demand. 
         [0165]      FIG. 16  is an embodiment of components providing services associated with reporting function  1402 . Usage statistics provider  1602  queries application statistics  1604 . With application names retrieved, usage statistics provider  1602  may then query system report handler  1606  for application information  1608 . In one embodiment, a separate call to size information  1610  may be provided asynchronously in order to effectively utilize processing resources of Intelligent TV  100 . One or more of usage statistics provider  1602  and system report handler  1606  may be implemented within reporting function  1402  or as a distinct process from reporting function  1402 . In a further embodiment, system report handler  1606  may receive indications associated with removed packages and/or applications  1408 . 
         [0166]      FIG. 17  illustrates flowchart  1700  for generating usage reports. In one embodiment, flowchart  1700  is performed as a component of reporting function  1402 . Step  1702  queries application manager  1404 , such as to retrieve application statistics  1604 . Step  1704  determines if any applications have been removed; if yes, step  1706  retrieves statistics for removed applications. Step  1702  may also return information for installed applications such that step  1708  may determine if any unqueried applications exist. 
         [0167]    If step  1708  determines an unqueried application exists, step  1710  queries the application statistics, such as to retrieve application information  1608  and/or size information  1610 . If step  1708  determines there are no unqueried applications, statistics are formatted into a report in step  1712 . 
         [0168]    The exemplary systems and methods of this disclosure have been described in relation to querying applications for application and usage statistics. However, to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present disclosure, the preceding description omits a number of known structures and devices. This omission is not to be construed as a limitation of the scopes of the claims. Specific details are set forth to provide an understanding of the present disclosure. It should however be appreciated that the present disclosure may be practiced in a variety of ways beyond the specific detail set forth herein. 
         [0169]    Furthermore, while the exemplary aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations illustrated herein show the various components of the system collocated, certain components of the system can be located remotely, at distant portions of a distributed network, such as a LAN and/or the Internet, or within a dedicated system. Thus, it should be appreciated, that the components of the system can be combined into one or more devices, such as an entertainment system or collocated on a particular node of a distributed network, such as an analog and/or digital telecommunications network, a packet-switch network, or a circuit-switched network. It will be appreciated from the preceding description, and for reasons of computational efficiency, that the components of the system can be arranged at any location within a distributed network of components without affecting the operation of the system. For example, the various components can be located in a switch such as a PBX and media server, gateway, in one or more communications devices, at one or more users&#39; premises, or some combination thereof. Similarly, one or more functional portions of the system could be distributed between a telecommunications device(s) and an associated computing device. 
         [0170]    Furthermore, it should be appreciated that the various links connecting the elements can be wired or wireless links, or any combination thereof, or any other known or later developed element(s) that is capable of supplying and/or communicating data to and from the connected elements. These wired or wireless links can also be secure links and may be capable of communicating encrypted information. Transmission media used as links, for example, can be any suitable carrier for electrical signals, including coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, and may take the form of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated during radio-wave and infra-red data communications. 
         [0171]    Also, while the flowcharts have been discussed and illustrated in relation to a particular sequence of events, it should be appreciated that changes, additions, and omissions to this sequence can occur without materially affecting the operation of the disclosed embodiments, configuration, and aspects. 
         [0172]    A number of variations and modifications of the disclosure can be used. It would be possible to provide for some features of the disclosure without providing others. Furthermore, the use of the term “data” or “statistics” is not indented to limit the information type or amount of information represented. 
         [0173]    In yet another embodiment, the systems and methods of this disclosure can be implemented in conjunction with a special purpose computer, a programmed microprocessor or microcontroller and peripheral integrated circuit element(s), an ASIC or other integrated circuit, a digital signal processor, a hard-wired electronic or logic circuit such as discrete element circuit, a programmable logic device or gate array such as PLD, PLA, FPGA, PAL, special purpose computer, any comparable means, or the like. In general, any device(s) or means capable of implementing the methodology illustrated herein can be used to implement the various aspects of this disclosure. Exemplary hardware that can be used for the disclosed embodiments, configurations and aspects includes computers, handheld devices, telephones (e.g., cellular, Internet enabled, digital, analog, hybrids, and others), and other hardware known in the art. Some of these devices include processors (e.g., a single or multiple microprocessors), memory, nonvolatile storage, input devices, and output devices. Furthermore, alternative software implementations including, but not limited to, distributed processing or component/object distributed processing, parallel processing, or virtual machine processing can also be constructed to implement the methods described herein. 
         [0174]    In yet another embodiment, the disclosed methods may be readily implemented in conjunction with software using object or object-oriented software development environments that provide portable source code that can be used on a variety of computer or workstation platforms. Alternatively, the disclosed system may be implemented partially or fully in hardware using standard logic circuits or VLSI design. Whether software or hardware is used to implement the systems in accordance with this disclosure is dependent on the speed and/or efficiency requirements of the system, the particular function, and the particular software or hardware systems or microprocessor or microcomputer systems being utilized. 
         [0175]    In yet another embodiment, the disclosed methods may be partially implemented in software that can be stored on a storage medium, executed on programmed general-purpose computer with the cooperation of a controller and memory, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, or the like. In these instances, the systems and methods of this disclosure can be implemented as a program embedded on a personal computer such as an applet, JAVA® or CGI script, as a resource residing on a server or computer workstation, as a routine embedded in a dedicated measurement system, system component, or the like. The system can also be implemented by physically incorporating the system and/or method into a software and/or hardware system. 
         [0176]    Although the present disclosure describes components and functions implemented in the aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations with reference to particular standards and protocols, the aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations are not limited to such standards and protocols. Other similar standards and protocols not mentioned herein are in existence and are considered to be included in the present disclosure. Moreover, the standards and protocols mentioned herein and other similar standards and protocols not mentioned herein are periodically superseded by faster or more effective equivalents having essentially the same functions. Such replacement standards and protocols having the same functions are considered equivalents included in the present disclosure. 
         [0177]    The present disclosure, in various aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations, includes components, methods, processes, systems and/or apparatus substantially as depicted and described herein, including various aspects, embodiments, configurations embodiments, subcombinations, and/or subsets thereof. Those of skill in the art will understand how to make and use the disclosed aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations after understanding the present disclosure. The present disclosure, in various aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations, includes providing devices and processes in the absence of items not depicted and/or described herein or in various aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations hereof, including in the absence of such items as may have been used in previous devices or processes, e.g., for improving performance, achieving ease and\or reducing cost of implementation. 
         [0178]    The foregoing discussion has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. The foregoing is not intended to limit the disclosure to the form or forms disclosed herein. In the foregoing Detailed Description for example, various features of the disclosure are grouped together in one or more aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. The features of the aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations of the disclosure may be combined in alternate aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations other than those discussed above. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claims require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed aspect, embodiment, and/or configuration. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate preferred embodiment of the disclosure. 
         [0179]    Moreover, though the description has included description of one or more aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations and certain variations and modifications, other variations, combinations, and modifications are within the scope of the disclosure, e.g., as may be within the skill and knowledge of those in the art, after understanding the present disclosure. It is intended to obtain rights which include alternative aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations to the extent permitted, including alternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions, ranges or steps to those claimed, whether or not such alternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions, ranges or steps are disclosed herein, and without intending to publicly dedicate any patentable subject matter.