Patent ID: 8555326

Claim:
A method for detection by and response to an idle mode of a remote sender device by a display device, comprising: the display device having a display and monitoring information received from a remote sender device via an input of the display device during a normal operating mode of the display device to determine whether the remote sender device is in the idle mode and not providing primary content for display by the display device while in the idle mode; where the remote sender device is determined to be in an idle mode by any one of: an absence of synchronization pulses if the remote sender device is adapted to send analog video information, and a presence of a screen saver signal in the video information in a digital or analog video signal; if the display device determines from the monitored information that the remote sender device is in the idle mode and not providing primary content for display by the display device, the display device acquiring alternate content from a second remote sender device; and the display device displaying the alternate content during an alternate display mode of the display device, wherein during the alternate display mode of the display device the alternate content displayed by the display device is not a screen saver content.