Patent ID: 7814516

Claim:
A network system comprising a plurality of input audio-video devices including a mix of a first set of devices comprising one or more devices controllable over a bidirectional digital bus and a second set of devices comprising one or more devices incapable of being controlled over the bidirectional digital bus, and a command center comprising a control unit and a primary display coupled to the control unit and having a command input adapted to receive user input command center specific commands and a plurality of input and output ports to which each of the second set of devices of the plurality of input devices are directly coupled, the command center comprising a control system being adapted to translate user input command center specific commands to device specific output messages to directly drive the first set of input devices via signals communicated from the command center over a bidirectional bus and drive the second set of devices via IR signals sent from the command center to the second set of devices, wherein the control system being adapted to generate a graphical user interface (UI) displayable on the primary display screen of the command center and coupled to a translation module of the control system, the UI including a device selection menu comprising a plurality of icons corresponding to the plurality of input devices, and wherein the control system being adapted to direct an audio and/or video signal from a first source device of the plurality of input AV devices to a sink device of the plurality of input AV devices via device specific output messages transmitted from the control system to the plurality of input AV devices while directing a signal from a second source device of the plurality of input AV devices to the primary display screen of the command center, wherein the first and second source devices and the sink device include one or more analog AV devices selected from the plurality of input AV devices coupled to the network.