Abstract:
A method for processing media content includes receiving, at a second communications device communicatively coupled to a network at a first geographic location, from a first wireless mobile communications device communicatively coupled to the second communications device at the first geographic location, a device profile of the first wireless mobile communications device. The device profile received from the first wireless mobile communications device and media content may be sent to a server communicatively coupled to the network at a second geographic location. Media content may be received from the server, where the media content has been reformatted based on the device profile. The reformatted media content may be transmitted to the first wireless mobile communications device. The received device profile of the first wireless mobile communication device may be stored.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/762,510 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,917,959 filed Jun. 13, 2007, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/675,110 filed Sep. 30, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,296,295, which makes reference to, claims priority to and claims benefit from U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/470,960, entitled “Media Processing System Supporting Different Media Formats via Server-Based Transcoding” and filed on May 15, 2003; U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/443,897, entitled “Media Processing System Providing Access to Distributed Media via a Channel Guide” and filed on Jan. 30, 2003; U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/444,099, entitled “Media Channel Setup in a Media Exchange Network” and filed on Jan. 30, 2003; U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/443,996, entitled “Media Processing System Automatically Offering Access to Newly Available Media in a Media Exchange Network” and filed on Jan. 30, 2003; U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/444,243, entitled “Migration of Stored Media Through a Media Exchange Network” and filed on Jan. 30, 2003; U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/464,711, entitled “Automated Routing and Consumption of Media Through a Media Exchange Network” and filed on Apr. 23, 2003; U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/457,179, entitled “Server Architecture Supporting a Personal Media Exchange Network” and filed on Mar. 25, 2003; U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/467,867, entitled “Billing Support in a Media Exchange Network” and filed on May 5, 2003; U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/467,990, entitled “Media Processing System Supporting Adaptive Digital Media Parameters Based On End-User Viewing Capabilities” and filed on May 5, 2003; U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/432,472, entitled “Personal Inter-Home Media Exchange Network” and filed on Dec. 11, 2002; and U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/443,894, entitled “Access and Control of Media Peripherals Via a Media Processing System” and filed on Jan. 30, 2003. The complete subject matter of the above-identified applications are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
     In addition, this application makes reference to U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/457,179, entitled “Server Architecture Supporting A Personal Media Exchange Network” and filed Mar. 25, 2003; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/657,390, entitled “Personal Inter-Home Media Exchange Network” and filed on Sep. 8, 2003; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/660,267, entitled “Personal Access and Control of Media Peripherals on a Media Exchange Network” and filed on Sep. 11, 2003. The complete subject matter of the above-identified applications are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
    
    
     FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     [Not Applicable] 
     SEQUENCE LISTING 
     [Not Applicable] 
     MICROFICHE/COPYRIGHT REFERENCE 
     [Not Applicable] 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Today, files having different formats for images, video, and audio may be attached to e-mail messages using a PC (personal computer) and sent to other PC&#39;s via the Internet. Also, files may be sent from one location to another over a network such as a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN) using a file transfer protocol (FTP). The files may be used in conjunction with certain media players such as PC&#39;s, DVD players, PDA&#39;s, MP3 players, etc. 
     The format (e.g., MPEG, JPEG, Windows Media, Quick Time, DVD sound format, AC3, CD format, etc.) of the files define their compatibility with devices. Files are often sent from a source location to a destination location without the source having any knowledge of the format capabilities of devices at the destination location. 
     For example, a source PC may send a JPEG image file to a destination PC without knowing what the file format capabilities are of the destination PC. The source PC may send the JPEG file to a destination PC. If the destination PC only supports TIFF format capability, then the destination PC may not be able to process and display the JPEG formatted file. 
     Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Aspects of the present invention may be found in, for example, systems and methods that reformat media content. In one embodiment, a system may include, for example, a server, a first communications device and a second communications device. The server, the first communications device and the second communications device may be operatively coupled to a network. The second communications device may receive, from the first communications device, a device profile relating to the first communications device and may send the device profile and media content to the server. The server may reformat the media content based on the device profile. 
     In another embodiment, a system may include, for example, a server, a first communications device and a second communications device. The server, the first communications device and the second communications device may be operatively coupled to a network. The first communications device may send a device profile of the first communications device to the server. The second communications device may send media content to the server. The server may reformat the media content based on the device profile. 
     In another embodiment, a system may include, for example, a server and a communications device. The server and the communications device may be operatively coupled to a network. The communications device may receive media content of a format that is not supported by the communications device. The communications device may send a device profile of the communications device and the received media content to the server. The server may reformat the media content from the communications device into a format that is supported by the communications device based on the device profile. 
     In another embodiment, a system may include, for example, a communications device operatively coupled to a network. The communications device may store a revisable device profile of the communications device, send the revisable device profile to the network, and receive, from the network, media content that has been reformatted based on the device profile. 
     In another embodiment, a method may include, for example, one or more of the following: receiving, by a server, a device profile of a communications device and media content destined for the communications device, the server being operatively coupled to the communications device via a network; and reformatting, by the server, the media content based on the device profile. 
     These and other advantages, aspects and novel features of the present invention, as well as details of some illustrated embodiments thereof, will be more fully understood from the following description and drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a media exchange network comprising an architecture to support different media formats via server-based transcoding according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 2A  is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a method that transcodes media content formats based on end-user media format capabilities on a media exchange network according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 2B  is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a method that transcodes media content formats based on end-user media format capabilities on a media exchange network according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a media exchange network according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic block diagram illustrating an exchange of personal media over a media exchange network according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic block diagram illustrating an exchange of third-party media over a media exchange network according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates an embodiment of a television (TV) guide channel user interface according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  illustrates an embodiment of a TV guide channel user interface according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  illustrates an embodiment of a TV guide channel user interface showing several options of a pushed media according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 9A  is a schematic block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a media processing system (MPS) interfacing to media capture peripherals according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 9B  illustrates an embodiment of an MPS according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  is a schematic block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a personal computer (PC) and an MPS interfacing to a server on a media exchange network according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 11  is a schematic block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a PC interfacing to personal media capture devices and remote media storage on a media exchange network according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a media exchange network  100  comprising an architecture to support different media formats via server-based transcoding according to the present invention. Some examples of video formats include the MPEG family of video formats, the Windows media formats, the Real-Player format, the Quick-Time video format, the H.263 video format, the H.323 video format, and other new or existing video formats. Some examples of image formats include JPEG, TIFF, bit map, GIF, and PCX, and any other new or existing image formats. Some examples of audio formats include MP3, CD, AC-3, Dolby, multi-channel 51, and any other new or existing audio formats. 
     The media exchange network  100  may include a communication network comprising, for example, a personal computer (PC)  101 , a media processing system (MPS)  102 , and at least one media peripheral (MP)  103  at a 1 st  home  104 ; a PC  105 , an MPS  106 , and at least one MP  107  at a 2 nd  home  108 . The MP  103  may interface to the PC  101  and/or the MPS  102  via, for example, a wireless link or a wired link (e.g., a USB connection). The PC  101  and the MPS  102  may interface to a broadband access headend  109 . The broadband access headend  109  may comprise, for example, a cable headend, a satellite headend, or a DSL headend in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention. As an option, the MP  103  may interface with the broadband access headend  109 . The PC  101 , the MPS  102 , and/or the MP  103  may include, for example, internal modems (e.g., a cable modem or a digital subscriber line (DSL) modem) or other interface devices to communicate with the broadband access headend  109 . Optionally, the interface device (e.g., a modem) may be external to the PC  101 , MPS  102 , and MP  103 . 
     Similarly, the MP  107  may interface to the PC  105  and/or the MPS  106  via, for example, a wireless link or a wired link (e.g., a USB connection). The PC  105  and the MPS  106  may interface to a broadband access headend  110 . The broadband access headend  110  may comprise, for example, a cable headend, a satellite headend, or a DSL headend in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention. As an option, the MP  107  may interface with the broadband access headend  110 . The PC  105 , the MPS  106 , and/or the MP  107  may include, for example, internal modems (e.g., a cable modem or a DSL modem) or other interface device to communicate with the broadband access headend  110 . Optionally, the interface device (e.g., modem) may be external to the PC  105 , the MPS  106 , and the MP  107 . 
     The media exchange network  100  may further comprise, for example, a broadband access headend  111  connected between a 3 rd  home  112  and an Internet infrastructure  115 , a media exchange server  113  (e.g., as in the case of a single central server supporting the media exchange network  100 ) and, optionally, at least one other media exchange server  114  (e.g., as in the case of a multiple server architecture) supporting the media exchange network  100  connected to the Internet infrastructure  115 . In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the media exchange network  100  may comprise two or more media exchange servers strategically located at various points in the media exchange network  100 . Also, the media exchange network  100  may include a format conversion server  118 , dedicated to converting the formats of media on the media exchange network  100  and interfacing to the Internet infrastructure  115 . 
     The broadband access headends  109  and  110  may also interface to the Internet infrastructure  115 . The broadband access headend  111  may comprise, for example, a cable headend, a satellite headend, or a DSL headend in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention. The 3 rd  home  112  may also include, for example, a PC, an MPS, and/or an MP as part of the media exchange network  100 . 
     The media exchange network  100  may also comprise, for example, a media storage server  116  and a 3 rd  party media server  117 , both interfacing to the Internet infrastructure  115 . The media storage server  116  may interact with the media exchange server  113  and may provide temporary and/or archival storage for digital media on the media exchange network  100 . For example, the media storage server  116  may temporarily hold media files that are addressed to certain MPS&#39;s and/or PC&#39;s on the media exchange network  100 . 
     The 3 rd  party media server  117  may store, for example, movies, video, user profiles, and other digital media that may be provided to users of the media exchange network  100 . 
     In accordance with various embodiments of the present invention, an MPS may comprise, for example, at least one of a set-top box, a PC and a TV with a media management system (MMS). An MMS is also known herein as a media exchange software (MES) platform. 
     In accordance with various embodiments of the present invention, an MMS may comprise a software platform operating on at least one processor to provide certain functionality including, for example, user interface functionality, distributed storage functionality and networking functionality. For example, an MMS may provide control of media peripheral devices, status monitoring of media peripheral devices and inter-home MPS routing selection in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
     In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a broadband access headend may be upgraded to a media exchange headend by adding functionality to facilitate the exchange of media on the media exchange network in conjunction with the media exchange server. Such functionality may include, for example, distributed networking capability, digital media transcoding, archival functionality (e.g., long term media storage), temporary storage (e.g., to aid in the distribution and routing of media), storage management, and digital rights management. 
     The media exchange network  100  may support, for example, the re-formatting (e.g., transcoding) of media content based on device capabilities of an end-user on the media exchange network  100 . In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the media exchange servers  113  and  114  may provide at least some of the functionality on the media exchange network  100  including, for example, digital media transcoding, billing and payment, device registration, channel/program setup and management, and security. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the format conversion server  118  may provide the functionality of digital media transcoding. 
     The various elements of the media exchange network  100  may include, for example, storage locations for digital media and data. The storage locations may comprise, for example, hard disk drives, a DVD player, a CD player, floppy disk drives, a RAM, or any combination of these. The storage locations may also include, for example, memory sticks, PCMCIA cards, compact flash cards, or any combination of these. 
     The PC&#39;s  101  and  105  may comprise, for example, desktop PC&#39;s, notebook PC&#39;s, PDA&#39;s, or any computing device. 
     In accordance with some embodiments of the present invention, the MPS&#39;s  102  and  106  may comprise enhanced set-top boxes. The MPS  102  and/or the MPS  106  may comprise, for example, a TV screen for viewing and interacting with various user interfaces, media, data, and services that are available on the media exchange network using, for example, a remote control. The PC  101  and the PC  105  may comprise, for example, a PC monitor for viewing and interacting with various user interfaces, media, data, and services that are available on the media exchange network using, for example, a keyboard and a mouse. The MPS&#39;s, the PC&#39;s, and/or the MP&#39;s may include, for example, functional software to support interaction with the various elements of the media exchange network  100  in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention. 
     The media peripherals  103  and  107  of the media exchange network  100  may include, for example, a digital camera, a digital camcorder, an MP3 player, a home juke-box system, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a multi-media gateway device, and various home appliances. 
     Other embodiments of the present invention may comprise various combinations and/or multiple instantiations of the elements of  FIG. 1  according to the present invention. 
     End-user devices (e.g., a PDA, an MPS with a TV display, a PC with a monitor, etc.) may support different media formats such as, for example, JPEG, MPEG-II, MPEG-IV, JPEG, MP3, digital Dolby, etc. Media content transferred across a media exchange network may include, for example, images, video, and audio having different digital media formats that support different types of encoding. In a media exchange network, media content may be transferred from one user to another in a channelized manner. The media content may be incorporated into a channel format and the contents of the channel may be pushed from one user to another via the media exchange network. 
     In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a source device (e.g., a PC or an MPS) on a media exchange network may have knowledge of the device capabilities of an end-user or a destination device (e.g., a PC or an MPS) and may ensure that the format of media content sent from the source device to the end-user is consistent with the device capabilities of the end-user. For example, an MPS of a first end-user on a media exchange network may support an MPEG-II video format. An MPS of a second end-user on the media exchange network may support the Windows Media format. A PC of a third end-user on the media exchange network may only support the JPEG image format. 
       FIG. 2A  is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a method  200  that transcodes media content formats based on end-user media format capabilities on the media exchange network  100  according to the present invention. In step  201 , an end-user device on a media exchange network updates a device capability profile within the end-user device on a media exchange network. In step  202 , the end-user device sends the device capability profile to a media source device on the media exchange network. In step  203 , the media source device pushes a media channel and the device capability profile to a server on the media exchange network. In step  204 , the server reformats (e.g., transcodes) the content of the media channel based on the end-user destination device capability profile. In step  205 , the server pushes the reformatted media channel to the end-user device via the media exchange network. In step  206 , the end-user device consumes (e.g., processes, displays, plays, etc.) the content of the reformatted media channel. 
     In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a device capability profile may include device format information corresponding to various devices of a user on the media exchange network. 
     As an example, referring to  FIG. 1 , a user at the 2 nd  home  108  has just upgraded the MPS  106  to handle the MPEG-IV video format. The user at the 2 nd  home  108  updates a device capability profile stored in the MPS  106  to indicate the new MPEG-IV capability of the MPS  106 . The MPS  106  then automatically sends the updated device capability profile to the MPS  102  at the 1 st  home  104  over the media exchange network  100 . The user of the MPS  102  at the 1 st  home  104  desires to send a channel including a digital video file to the user at the 2 nd  home  108 . The MPS  102  sends the channel of digital video, which is in a Windows Media format, to the media exchange server  113  along with the device capability profile of the MPS  106 . The media exchange server re-formats (e.g., transcodes) the channel of digital video from the Windows Media format to the MPEG-IV format and pushes the transcoded channel to the MPS  106  via the media exchange network  100 . The user of the MPS  106  may view the digital video in the MPEG-IV format. 
     In another embodiment of the present invention, the MPS  106  may send the device capability profile directly to the media exchange server  113  instead of to the individual user of the MPS  102 . As a result, any user wanting to push digital video to the MPS  106  may send the digital video content to the media exchange server  113  in any format and the media exchange server  113  will know to convert the digital video content to the MPEG-IV format, for example. 
       FIG. 2B  is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a method  210  that transcodes media content formats based on end-user media format capabilities on the media exchange network  100  according to the present invention. In step  211 , a device on a media exchange network updates a device capability profile within the device on the media exchange network. In step  212 , the device pushes a media channel and the device capability profile to a server on the media exchange network. In step  213 , the server reformats the contents of the media channel based on the device capability profile. In step  214 , the server pushes the reformatted media channel to the device via the media exchange network. In step  215 , the device consumes (e.g., processes, displays, plays, etc.) the content of the reformatted media channel. 
     As an example, referring to  FIG. 1 , a user at the 1st home  104  has just upgraded the PC  101  to handle the AC3 audio format. The user at the 1 st  home  104  updates a device capability profile stored in the PC  101  to indicate the new AC3 capability of the PC  101 . The PC  101  then sends the updated device capability profile and a channel of digital audio, which is in an MP3 format, to the format conversion server  118 . The format conversion server  118  re-formats (e.g., transcodes) the channel of digital audio from the MP3 format to the AC3 format and pushes the transcoded channel back to the PC  101  via the media exchange network  100 . The PC  101  may now play the digital video in the AC3 format. 
     As another example, a user at the 2 nd  home  108  may bring home an MP  107  (e.g., a digital camera). However, the digital camera  107  may not be directly compatible with the MPS  106  since the digital camera  107  stores images in a JPEG format and the MPS  106  only processes digital images that are in a GIF format. As a result, when JPEG images are downloaded from the digital camera  107  to the MPS  106 , the MPS  106  may push the JPEG images to the format conversion server  118  on the media exchange network to have the JPEG images converted to the GIF format. The format conversion server  118 , after converting the images, pushes the images in the GIF format back to the MPS  106 . The MPS  106  may now process and display the images in the GIF format. 
     In accordance with various embodiments of the present invention, if an end-user changes a device (e.g., a PC, an MPS, an MP) on the media exchange network, then the end-user may manually update a corresponding device capability profile or the device capability profile may be automatically updated once the device is connected to the media exchange network. The updated device capability profile may then be manually or automatically sent to other users on the media exchange network such as friends and family members, for example, or to a media exchange network. 
     In accordance with various embodiments of the present invention, the reformatting of files of media content may be performed by an MPS or a PC on the media exchange network. If a media file is to be transferred from a source device to an end-user device, then the source device may have the capability to reformat the media file based on a device capability profile of the destination device. 
     Some embodiments according to the present invention may transfer and share many different types of digital media, data, and services between one device/location and another with ease while being able to index, manage, and store the digital media and data. 
     For example, it may be desirable to be able to distribute and to store many types of digital media in a PC and/or a television environment in a user-friendly manner without using many different types of software applications and/or unique and dedicated interfaces. Any networking issues or other technical issues may be transparent to the users. It may also be desirable to use existing hardware infrastructure, as much as possible, when providing such capability. 
     In an embodiment of the present invention, a media exchange network is provided that enables many types of digital media, data, and/or services to be stored, indexed, viewed, searched for, pushed from one user to another, and requested by users, via a TV channel guide look-and-feel user interface. The media exchange network also allows a user to construct personal media channels that comprise his personal digital media (e.g., captured digital pictures, digital video, digital audio, etc.), request that third-party media channels be constructed from third-party digital media, and access the media channels pushed to the user by other users on the media exchange network. 
     PC&#39;s may be used but are not required to interface to the media exchange network for the purpose of exchanging digital media, data, and services. Set-top-boxes or integrated MPS&#39;s may be used with the media exchange network to perform some or all of the previously described media exchange functions using, for example, a remote control with a television screen. 
     Set-top-boxes may be software enhanced to create an MPS that provides full media exchange network interfacing and functionality via a TV screen with a TV guide look-and-feel. PC&#39;s may be software enhanced and may provide the same TV guide look-and-feel. Therefore, the media exchange network may support both PC&#39;s and MPS&#39;s in a similar manner. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a fully integrated MPS may be designed from the ground up, having full MPS capability. 
     In the case of an MPS configuration, the user may use a remote control and a TV may use a keyboard and/or a mouse to access the media exchange network. 
     An MPS or an enhanced PC may provide, for example, a storage and distribution platform for the exchange of personal and third party digital media, data, and services as well as for bringing the conventional television channels to a user&#39;s home. An MPS and/or a PC may connect to the media exchange network via an existing communication infrastructure which may include, for example, a cable infrastructure, a DSL infrastructure, a satellite infrastructure, etc. The connection to the communication infrastructure may be hard-wired or wireless. 
     The media exchange network may allow users to effectively become their own broadcasters from their own homes by creating their own media channels and pushing those media channels to other authorized users on the media exchange network, such as friends and family members. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a media exchange network  300  for exchanging and sharing digital media, data, and services in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The media exchange network  300  may comprise, for example, a secure, closed network environment that is only accessible to pre-defined users and service providers. The media exchange network of  FIG. 3  comprises a first PC  301  and a first MPS  302  at a user&#39;s home  303 , a communication infrastructure  304 , an external processing hardware support  305 , a remote media storage  306 , a second PC  307  at a remote location  308  such as an office, and a second MPS  309  at a parent&#39;s home  310 . 
     The PC&#39;s  301  and  307  and the MPS&#39;s  302  and  309  may each include a media exchange software (MES) platform  311  and a networking component  312  for connectivity. The MES platform  311  provides multiple capabilities including, for example, media “push” capability, media “access” capability, media channel construction/selection, image sequence selection, text and voice overlay, channel and program naming, inter-home routing selection, authorship and media rights management, shared inter-home media experience, billing service, and an integrated TV channel guide look-and-feel. 
     The external processing hardware support  305  may comprise, for example, at least one server such as a centralized Internet server, a peer-to-peer server, or a cable headend. The server may alternatively be distributed over various hosts or remote PC&#39;s. The MES platform  311  may reside on the external processing hardware support server  305 . The remote media storage  306  may comprise, for example, user media storage and distribution systems  313  and/or third party media storage and distribution systems  314 . 
     The communication infrastructure  304  may comprise, for example, at least one of an Internet infrastructure, a satellite infrastructure, a cable infrastructure, a dial-up infrastructure, a cellular infrastructure, an xDSL infrastructure, an optical infrastructure, or some other infrastructure. The communication infrastructure  304  may link the user&#39;s home  303 , the parent&#39;s home  310 , the remote media storage  306 , and the remote location office  308  to each other (e.g., the communication infrastructure  304  may link all users and service providers of the media exchange network  300 ). 
     The various functions  315  of the media exchange network  300  may comprise, for example, generating personal network associations, personal storage management, media capture device support, security/authentication/authorization support, authorship tracking and billing and address registration and maintenance. These media exchange management functions  315  may be distributed over various parts of the media exchange network  300 . For example, the personal network associations and personal storage management functions may be integrated into the PC  301  at the user&#39;s home  303 . 
       FIG. 4  illustrates an example of a personal media exchange over a media exchange network  400  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In step  1 , the media exchange software (MES) platform  401  is used to construct personal media channels on a PC  402  by a user at “my house”  403 . For example, with various media stored on the PC  402  such as digital pictures  404 , videos  405 , and music  406 , the MES platform  401  allows the digital media to be organized by a user into several channels having a TV channel guide look-and-feel user interface  407  on the PC  402 . 
     In step  2 , the user at “my house”  403  pushes a media channel  408  (e.g., “Joe&#39;s Music”) to “brother&#39;s house”  409  and pushes two media channels  410  and  411  (e.g., “Vacation Video” and “Kid&#39;s Pictures”) to “Mom&#39;s house”  412  via a peer-to-peer server  413  over the Internet-based media exchange network  400 . “Brother&#39;s house”  409  includes a first MPS  414  connected to the media exchange network  400 . “Mom&#39;s house”  412  includes a second MPS  415  connected to the media exchange network  400 . The MPS&#39;s  414  and  415  also provide a TV channel guide look-and-feel user interface  407 . 
     In step  3 , brother and/or Mom access the pushed media channels via their respective media processing systems (MPS&#39;s)  414  and  415  using their respective MPS TV screens and remote controls. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates an example of a third-party media exchange over a media exchange network  500  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In step  1 , a PC-initiated third-party request is made by a first party  501  via an Internet-based media exchange network  500  using a TV channel guide look-and-feel user interface  502  on a PC  503 . In step  2 , an anonymous delivery of the requested third-party channel  504  is made to a second party  505  via the Internet-based media exchange network  500 . In step  3 , the second party  505  accesses the third-party channel  504  using a TV channel guide look-and-feel user interface  506  on a TV screen  507  that is integrated into an MPS  508 . 
     Similarly, in step A, an MPS-initiated third-party request is made by a second party  505  via an Internet-based media exchange network  500  using a TV channel guide look-and-feel user interface  506  on a TV screen  507  using a remote control  509 . The second party  505  may key in a code, using the remote control  509 , that is correlated to a commercial or some other third party broadcast media. In step B, an anonymous delivery of the requested third-party channel  504  is made to a first party  501  via the Internet-based media exchange network  500 . In step C, the first party  501  accesses the third-party channel  504  using a TV channel guide look-and-feel user interface  502  on a PC  503 . 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a TV channel guide user interface  600  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The TV channel guide user interface  600  may be displayed on a TV screen  608  and controlled by a remote control device  609 . Also, the TV channel guide user interface  600  may be displayed on a PC monitor and controlled by a keyboard or a mouse. 
     The TV channel guide user interface  600  may be configured not only for conventional TV channels, but also for personal media channels  601  that are constructed by a user of a media exchange network, friend&#39;s and family&#39;s media channels  602  constructed by friends and family, and third party channels  603  that are constructed by third parties either upon request by a user of a media exchange network or based on a profile of a user. 
     The personal media channels  601  may include, for example, a “family vacations channel”, a “kid&#39;s sports channel”, a “my life channel”, a “son&#39;s life channel”, a “my music channel”, and a “kid&#39;s music channel”. The friends and family media channels  602  may include, for example, a “brother&#39;s channel”, a “Mom&#39;s channel”, and a “friend&#39;s channel”. The third party media channels  603  may include, for example, a “Sears Fall sale channel” and a “car commercials channel”. 
     Each media channel may correspond to a schedule  604  showing, for example, a week  605  and a year  606 . For example, under the “kid&#39;s sports channel”, Ty&#39;s soccer game could be scheduled to be viewed on Tuesday of the current week  605  and current year  606 . For each media channel, a sub-menu  607  allows for selection of certain control and access functions such as, for example, “play”, “send to list”, “send to archive”, “confirm receipt”, “view”, “purchase”, and “profile”. 
       FIG. 7  illustrates possible multiple instantiations of a TV channel guide user interface  700  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The TV channel guide user interface  700  may be viewed with a schedule having formats of, for example, “month, year”, “week#, year”, “day, week#”, or “hour, day”. 
     Referring to  FIG. 8 , a user of a media exchange network may push a media channel (e.g., “Vacation in Alaska Video”) to a friend who is on the same media exchange network. The TV channel guide user interface  800  may give the friend several options  801  for accepting and downloading the pushed media in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
     For example, a first, most expensive option  803  may be “Express Delivery” which would deliver the pushed media to the friend in 18 minutes using queuing and cost $1.20, for example. The pushed media may be stored in a file in an MPEG 2 format that was recorded at a rate of 4 Mbps, for example. Queuing may comprise, for example, buffering and delivering a previous part of the media and then buffering and delivering a next part of the media. For example, a first six minutes of the “Vacation in Alaska Video” may be buffered and delivered first, then a second six minutes may be buffered and delivered next, and so on until the entire media is delivered. 
     A second, less expensive option  802  may be “Normal Delivery” which would deliver the pushed media in 2 hours and 13 minutes without queuing and cost $0.59, for example. The pushed media may be stored in a file in an MPEG 2 format that was recorded at a rate of 1.5 Mbps, for example. 
     A third, least expensive option  804  may be “Overnight Delivery” which would deliver the pushed media by the next morning and cost only $0.05, for example. The pushed media may be stored in a file in an MPEG 2 format that was recorded at a rate of 19 Mbps and stored on a server, for example. 
       FIG. 9A  illustrates some elements of a media processing system (MPS)  900  and media capture devices  901  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The media capture devices  901  may comprise, for example, audio, video, and image players, such as digital cameras, digital camcorders, and MP3 players, that each may include, for example, a temporary storage area  902  and a communication interface  903  such as, for example, a wired interface (e.g., a USB interface) or a wireless interface. The media capture devices  901  may interface to an MPS and a PC. 
     The MPS  900  may comprise, for example, a media processing unit (MPU)  904 , remote user interface(s)  905 , and a TV screen  918  to provide integrated media processing capability and indirect user interface capability. The remote user interfaces  905  may comprise, for example, a voice or keyed remote control  906 , keyboards and pads  907 , a remote PC access interface  908 , and a remote media system access interface  909  (e.g., providing access from another MPS). 
     The media processing unit (MPU)  904  may comprise, for example, TV and radio tuners  910  for image and audio consumption, communications interfaces  911 , channel processing  912  (e.g., creating, storing, indexing, and viewing), storage  913 , media players  914  (e.g., CD players, DVD players, tape players, PVRs, and MP3 players), an integrated user interface  915  (e.g., to provide a. TV channel guide look-and-feel), networking components  916  to provide client functions such as, for example, consumption (e.g., billing), authorization (e.g., using digital certificates and digital ID&#39;s), registration, security, and connectivity. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the networking components  916  may include a distributed server element  917  that is part of a distributed server. 
       FIG. 9B  illustrates an embodiment of a media processing system (MPS)  920  in accordance with various aspects of the present invention. The MPS  920  may comprise, for example, an enhanced set-top box for viewing and interacting with various user interfaces, media, data and services that are available on the media exchange network using, for example, a remote control. The MPS  920  may comprise, for example, a media peripheral  921 , a media management system (MMS)  922  and a broadband communication interface  923 . 
     The media peripheral  921  may include, for example, a TV, a PC and media players (e.g., a CD player, a DVD player, a tape player and an MP3 player) for video, image and audio consumption of broadcast channels and/or personal channels. The broadband communication interface  923  may include, for example, internal modems (e.g., a cable modem or a DSL modem) or other interface devices to communicate with, for example, a cable or satellite headend. 
     The MIVIS  922  may include a software platform to provide functionality including, for example, media “push” capability, media “access” capability, media channel construction/selection, image sequence selection, text and voice overlay, channel and program naming, inter-home routing selection, authorship and media rights management, shared inter-home media experience, billing service and a media guide user interface providing an integrated TV channel guide look-and-feel. 
       FIG. 10  illustrates connectivity between a PC  1000 , an MPS  1001 , and an external processing hardware  1002  (e.g., a server) in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The PC  1000  and the MPS  1001  may include networking components  1003  to provide client functions such as, for example, consumption (e.g., billing), authorization, registration, security, and connectivity. In accordance with various embodiments of the present invention, the PC  1000  and the MPS  1001  may include a distributed server element  1004  that is part of a distributed server. 
     The PC  1000  and the MPS  1001  may connect to the external processing hardware  1002  via wired connections or wireless connections in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention. The external processing hardware  1002  may comprise, for example, a distributed server or a peer-to-peer server. The external processing hardware  1002  also may comprise communication interfaces  1005  (e.g., cable interfaces, optical interfaces, etc.) and a media exchange software (MES) platform  1006 . The MES platform  1006  in the external processing hardware  1002  may allow for communication with the PC  1000  and the MPS  1001  which may also use the same MES platform  1006 . The external processing hardware  1002  may also include networking server components  1007  to provide the similar client functions such as, for example, consumption (e.g., billing), authorization, registration, security, and connectivity at the server side. 
       FIG. 11  illustrates connectivity between a PC  1100 , a remote media storage  1101 , and personal media capture devices  1102  when the PC  1100  is used as the primary distributor of digital media such as in the case of a PC-to-PC operation, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The personal media capture devices  1102  and the remote media storage  1101  may connect to the PC  1100  via a wireless connection or a wired connection. The remote media storage  1101  may provide user media storage and distribution  1103  as well as third party media storage and distribution  1104 . The personal media capture devices  1102  may provide temporary storage  1114  and communication interfaces  1115 . 
     Viewing may be done using a PC monitor  1105  instead of a television screen in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention. The PC  1100  may include, for example, storage  1106 , TV/radio tuners  1107  for media consumption, media players  1108 , and communication interfaces  1109  and user interfaces  1110  similar to those for the MPS of  FIG. 9 . The PC  1100  may include a media exchange software (MES) platform  1111  that provides channel construction capability  1112  and networking capability  1113 . The channel construction capability  1112  may provide, for example, third party and personal media access, sequencing, editing, media overlays and inserts, billing, scheduling, and addressing. 
     In summary, some embodiments of the present invention may relate to systems and methods that support adaptive media parameters on a media exchange network. Media parameters such as resolution, image size, audio quality, etc. may be adapted for certain media content to make the media content more compatible with end-user device capabilities. 
     While the present invention has been described with reference to certain embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope of the present invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the present invention without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is intended that the present invention not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but that the present invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.