Patent ID: 8483853

Claim:
A multimedia controller including a processor, the controller configured to: display a plurality of zone names for user selection via a display interface, each zone name of the plurality of zone names representing a particular zone that contains at least one player configured for multimedia playback in that zone, the plurality of zones including at least a player configured to retrieve a first multimedia output from a first multimedia source or to retrieve a second multimedia output from a second multimedia source, and wherein each player is coupled to a first local area network; facilitate formation of a zone group by associating at least two of the plurality of zones, the zone group associated with a zone group configuration characterizing the zone group, the zone group configuration identifying players of the zone group; and transmit the zone group configuration to a first player of a zone in the zone group to facilitate synchronized playback of multimedia content in accordance with the zone group configuration, the zone group configuration identifying at least the first multimedia source and the second multimedia source, and the zone group configuration to include activation of the synchronized playback by players of the zone group automatically at a specified time, the first player determining playback of either the first multimedia source or the second multimedia source in accordance with the zone group configuration.