Patent ID: 7634795

Claim:
A client for use in a television system, wherein the client is located in a television viewer home and comprises: a receiver configured to receive a programming signal; an interface configured to communicate with a secondary device external to the client; and a transcode subsystem coupled to the receiver and the interface, wherein the transcode subsystem is configured to: detect a communication from the secondary device; determine a target data format corresponding to the secondary device; convey a request to an external entity for a transcode subunit corresponding to said target data format, in response to determining the transcode subsystem is not configured to support said target data format; retrieve the transcode subunit from an external entity, responsive to the request; receive data targeted to the secondary device, wherein the received data comprises a first data format; determine whether the first data format is compatible with the secondary device; identify the transcode subunit as corresponding to both the first data format and the target data format, in response to determining the first data format is not compatible with the secondary device; and initiate transcoding of the received data from the first data format to the target data format using the transcode subunit.