Synchronization of favorites and/or recently viewed lists between registered content playback devices

Abstract

Systems and methods for creating and employing software to handle the playback of media, especially video, in browsers that, in addition to or instead of playing the media in the browser, may use second display protocols to instruct a separate display device to play the media. The software can of any type that can transmit the content or specify a network location of the content item for subsequent playback to a content playback device. In one implementation, the software may be in the form of a web browser or other application that is configured to use for the playback of selected media types. The browser maintains a list of favorite and/or recently viewed services and content items and is configured to filter the list to include only those content items, or services with such content items, available for play back on the separate content playback device. In this way, favorite content items and services and/or recently viewed content items and services are made accessible using the second display on any content playback device registered with the user.

1 . A second display, comprising:
 a display module, the display module providing the user interface and configured to display a content item or to receive a content item URL, the display module further configured to receive an identifier of a content playback device specified by the user on which content is to be played back, the second display configured to control the playback of content items on the specified content playback device;   a network communications module, the network communications module for coupling the second display to a local network or to a specified content playback device, the network communications module further for establishing a communication session between the second display and a source of content, the source of content being a service provider, the communication session associated with a user account of the user with the service provider;   a content item redirection module, the content item redirection module configured to direct the specified content playback device to playback the content item or a content item associated with the content item URL; and   a web browsing module for browsing content items and maintaining a list of favorite content items and/or recently viewed content items, wherein said web browsing module is configured to filter the list of favorite content items and/or recently viewed content items, wherein the filter removes service providers offering only content items that are not available for playback on the specified content playback device, and wherein the filter also removes service providers with which the user account is not affiliated.   
     
     
         2 . The display of  claim 1 , wherein the web-browsing module is implemented in HTML, JavaScript, or a native code. 
     
     
         3 . The display of  claim 1 , wherein the web-browsing module includes a plug-in or helper application configured to filter the list. 
     
     
         4 . The display of  claim 1 , wherein the content item redirection module is configured to buffer the content item and transmit the content item to the content playback device. 
     
     
         5 . The display of  claim 4 , wherein the transmission is via a wireless communication scheme. 
     
     
         6 . The display of  claim 5 , wherein the content item redirection module is configured to direct the content playback device to play back a content item associated with the content item URL by transmitting the content item URL to a server. 
     
     
         7 . A server, comprising:
 i. a processor;   ii. memory bearing computer readable instructions capable of receiving login information from a user of a second display and determining if the login information is correct for a user account associated with the user;   iii. memory bearing computer readable instructions capable of receiving an identity of a specified content playback device associated with the user account;   iv. memory bearing computer readable instructions capable of accessing or generating a list of favorite and/or recently viewed services or content items associated with the user account and further capable of filtering the list, wherein the filter removes service providers offering only content items that are not available for playback on the specified content playback device, and wherein the filter also removes service providers with which the user account is not affiliated; and   v. memory bearing computer readable instructions capable of delivering the filtered list to the second display.   
     
     
         8 . The server of  claim 7 , wherein the server is a proxy server or a management server. 
     
     
         9 . The server of  claim 7 , further comprising memory bearing computer readable instructions capable of accessing or generating the filtered list from a management server or a content server. 
     
     
         10 . The server of  claim 7 , wherein the identity of the specified content playback device includes a network address of a content playback device previously registered to the user account.