Communication system and method

1. A television receiver system comprising:

a television receiver configured to receive a broadcast television signal;

a signal processing apparatus, coupled to the television receiver, configured to process the broadcast television signal to generate a corresponding series of frames of the broadcast television signal for sequential output to a television screen;

a memory storing a communication client application;

a communications processing apparatus, coupled to said memory and said signal processing apparatus, configured to execute the communication client application, the communication client application, when executed, configured to:

capture a frame of the broadcast television signal in response to an input from a user;

generate an image from the captured frame of the broadcast television signal;

automatically set the image as an avatar for the user;

enable bidirectional communications with one or more other users via a packet-based communication network; and

provide the avatar to the one or more other users via the packet-based network to represent the user.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the communication client application is further configured to generate the image by:

automatically capturing a plurality of said frames, each frame being within a time window of a predetermined length and beginning at a point determined relative to when the input is received;

outputting an indication of the plurality of frames to the television screen for perusal by the user;

receiving a further user input selecting one of said plurality of frames; and

using the selected frame to generate said image.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the client application is configured to generate the image by automatically cropping the image from the captured frame of said broadcast television signal.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the client application is further configured to output an instruction message to said television screen for display together with said frames.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein:

the signal processing apparatus is further configured to process an alternative video signal from a source other than television broadcast to generate a corresponding series of frames for sequential output to the television screen;

the signal processing apparatus is further configured to select between the broadcast television signal and the alternative video signal for processing to generate the series of frames for output to the television screen; and

the client application is further configured to capture one of the frames of the selected signal in response to an additional input from the user, generate an additional image from the captured frame of the selected signal, and automatically set the additional image as the avatar for the user.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein said source other than television broadcast is one of a video disc player, a personal video recorder, or a storage device of a camcorder.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least the television receiver, the signal processing apparatus, the memory, and the communications processing apparatus are housed within at least one of a TV set or a set-top box.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the client application is further configured to enable said bidirectional communications via the Internet, and to provide the avatar via the Internet.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the client application is further configured to enable said bidirectional communications via a peer-to-peer connection in said communication network, and to provide the avatar to represent said user in relation to the peer-to-peer communications.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the bidirectional communications compriseat least one of a video call, an audio phone call, or a text chat conversation.

11. A method of communicating over a packet-based communication network, the method comprising:

receiving a broadcast television signal;

processing the broadcast television signal to generate a corresponding series of frames of the broadcast television signal for sequential output to a television screen;

receiving an input from a user of the packet-based communication network;

in response said input, capturing a frame of the broadcast television signal, generating an image from the captured frame of the broadcast television signal, and storing the image to a predetermined storage location in association with an identifier of the user; and

executing a communication client application to enable bidirectional communications with one or more other users via the packet-based communication network, wherein the communication client application configured to automatically retrieve the image from the predetermined storage location, and provide the image to the other users via the packet-based network as an avatar to represent said user in relation to said bidirectional communications.

12. A method of communicating over a packet-based communication network, the method comprising:

receiving a broadcast television signal;

processing the broadcast television signal to generate a corresponding series of frames of the broadcast television signal for sequential output to a television screen;

receiving input from a user of the packet-based communication network;

in response said input:

automatically capturing a plurality of frames of the broadcast television signal, each of the plurality of captured frames being within a time window of a predetermined length and beginning at a point determined relative to when the user input is received;

outputting an indication of the plurality of captured frames of the broadcast television signal to the television screen for perusal by the user;

receiving a further user input selecting one of said plurality of captured frames;

generating an image from the selected frame of the broadcast television signal, and storing the image in association with an identifier of the user; and

enabling bidirectional communications with one or more other users via the packet-based communication network; and

providing the image to the other users via the packet-based communication network as an avatar to represent said user in relation to said bidirectional communications.

13. A media appliance comprising:

a video signal source configured to supply a video signal;

a signal processing apparatus, coupled to the video signal source, configured to process the video signal to generate a corresponding series of frames for sequential output to a screen;

a memory storing a communication client application;

a communications processing apparatus, coupled to said memory and said signal processing apparatus, configured to execute the communication client application, the communication client application, when executed, configured to:

capture a frame of the video signal in response to an input from a user;

generate an image from the captured frame of the video signal;

automatically set the image as an avatar for the user;

enable bidirectional communications with one or more other users via a packet-based communication network; and

provide the avatar to the one or more other users via the packet-based network to represent the user.

14. The media appliance of claim 13 , wherein the client application is configured to generate the image by automatically cropping the image from the captured frame of the video signal.

15. The media appliance of claim 13 , wherein the video signal comprises a broadcast television signal.

16. The media appliance of claim 13 , wherein the video signal source comprises one of a video disc player, a personal video recorder, or a storage device of a camcorder.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein generating the image comprises automatically cropping the image from the captured frame of the broadcast television signal.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the communication client application is further configured to enable the bidirectional communications via a peer-to-peer connection in the communication network, and to provide the avatar to represent the user in relation to the peer-to-peer communications.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein the bidirectional communications comprise at least one of a video call, an audio phone call, or a text chat conversation.

20. The method of claim 12 , wherein generating the image comprises automatically cropping the image from the selected frame of the broadcast television signal.