Patent ID: 8134650

Claim:
An audio-video (AV) system comprising a display screen, a context sensitive controller coupled to the screen and adapted to translate controller specific user input commands to peripheral input device appropriate messages to drive the peripheral input devices, wherein the peripheral input devices comprise analog and digital devices, wherein the controller is adapted to communicate with the analog input devices via IR signals sent from the controller to the analog input devices and communicate with the digital input devices via signals sent from the controller over a bidirectional bus when such devices are coupled to a plurality of input and output ports coupled to the controller, wherein the analog input devices being incapable of communicating over the bidirectional bus, wherein the controller comprises a user interface (UI) module adapted to translate user input controller specific commands and first and second control modules coupled to the UI module, the control modules adapted to convert translated user input controller specific commands into device specific output messages to drive the analogue and digital input devices, wherein the controller is adapted to generate a graphical user interface (GUI) displayable on the screen and coupled to the UI module, the GUI includes a visual recognition system and a device selection menu comprising a plurality of icons corresponding to a plurality of AV input devices when such devices are coupled to the controller, wherein the device selection menu comprises a device selection window, a video sink window, an audio sink window, and a connection sink window, an IR signal receiver coupled to the controller and adapted to receive user commands, an IR emitter coupled to the controller, an IR emitter controller coupled to the first control module and the IR emitter, and a driver module coupled to the second control module, the driver module adapted to communicate device appropriate output messages to the digital input devices.