Patent ID: 8817189

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a switching circuit configured to present an output signal in response to a plurality of input signals, wherein (i) said output signal is generated in response to a currently active one of said input signals, (ii) a user prompt is generated within said output signal after a second one of said input signals is calculated to have been active for a predetermined time, (iii) said user prompt appears prior to switching to said second one of said input signals, (iv) said user prompt indicates that a user must either (a) confirm switching to said second one of said input signals or (b) reject switching to said second one of said input signals, (v) said user prompt (A) stays visible until said user selects or rejects said switching in a first mode and (B) disappears after a predetermined time if no user input has been received in a second mode, (vi) said user prompt appears on a portion of a screen at a location that does not obstruct viewing of said output signal, and (vii) said portion where said user prompt appears is in a black bar region of said output signal, wherein said black bar region is (a) across a top and a bottom side of said screen when said output signal is in a first format and (b) across a left and a right side of said screen when said output signal is in a second format; a first display circuit configured to display information from said output signal, wherein said first display circuit continues to allow a device that generates said second one of said inputs to load a start up configuration while said currently active one of said input signals is viewable; and a second display circuit configured to receive said user prompt, wherein a user of said second display circuit is able to independently (a) confirm switching to said second one of said input signals or (b) reject switching to said second one of said input signals and said user prompt (A) stays visible until said user selects or rejects said switching in a first mode and (B) disappears after a predetermined time if no user input has been received in a second mode.