Patent ID: 8612857

Claim:
A computer-implemented method of selecting a display mode, the method comprising: determining, using one or more processing units, display modes supported by a media client, including safe modes and one or more unsafe modes; selecting, using the one or more processing units, a plurality of display modes from the determined display modes, wherein each of the plurality of display modes corresponds to a safe mode; sequentially selecting, using the one or more processing units, a display mode from the plurality of display modes, wherein the plurality of display modes are ordered according to one or more of resolution, timing, and popularity; generating, using the one or more processing units, an output signal based upon the selected display mode, wherein the generated output signal is provided to a display device; selectively repeating, using the one or more processing units, the sequential selection of a display mode from the plurality of display modes, and generating an output signal based upon the selected display mode, wherein the sequential selection is selectively repeated until a selected display mode is determined to be compatible with the display device or until all of the display modes in the plurality of display modes have been sequentially selected; selecting, using the one or more processing units, a plurality of alternative display modes when all of the display modes have been sequentially selected, wherein each alternative display mode is supported by the media client, and wherein the plurality of alternative display modes includes one or more unsafe modes; and selectively repeating, using the one or more processing units, the sequential selection of a display mode from the plurality of alternative display modes, and generating an output signal based upon the selected display mode, wherein the sequential selection is selectively repeated until a selected display mode is determined to be compatible with the display device.