Patent ID: 8302111

Claim:
Third party consumer premises equipment (CPE) including a processor, said CPE for use within a content-based network, said CPE comprising: a plurality of proprietary and optional hardware features consisting comprising at least one of: digital video recorder (DVR) features, and/or digital video interface (DVI) features; a software application having a first application programming interface (API) associated therewith; OpenCable (OCAP) compliant middleware adapted to communicate with said software application and said hardware features via a plurality of second APIs; and a hardware registry having a plurality of entries associated therewith individual ones of said entries relating at least of said second APIs to respective ones of said hardware features; wherein said CPE is further adapted to download from said network and run said software application, said software application configured to: discover said hardware registry, said plurality of entries and said plurality of second APIs; access at least one of said proprietary and optional hardware features via at least one of said plurality of second APIs; and selectively control said at least one hardware feature using said application; wherein said third party CPE is configured to be utilized within a multiple systems operator (MSO) network; and wherein said download of said software application configured to discover, access and selectively control comprises a download from said network after installation of said CPE with a consumer premises.