Systems and methods for providing a media playback in a networked environment

1. A method, in a networked media playback device, for allowing a wireless web enabled device to provide media playback control signals for the networked media playback device or a networked media playback system, the method including the steps of:

(i) providing, via software instructions maintained by the networked media playback device, a local web server that is configured to deliver data indicative of a browser-renderable control interface for the networked media playback device or networked media playback system, wherein the browser-renderable control interface is renderable as a graphical user interface that provides objects for selection of media for playback and control of media playback via the networked media playback device or networked media playback system;

(ii) being responsive to a predetermined request from the wireless web enabled device for delivering, to the wireless web enabled device, browser renderable code defining the graphical user interface that provides objects for selection of media for playback and control of media playback via the networked media playback device or networked media playback system, thereby to enable loading of the browser renderable code by a web browser application of the wireless web enabled device, such that the loading of the browser renderable code renders the graphical user interface as a web page displayed by the web browser application;

(iii) being responsive to utilisation of the control interface as rendered in the web browser application for defining one or more playback control commands; and

(iv) implementing the one or more playback control commands in the networked media playback device or networked media playback system.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein step (ii) includes:

(iia) receiving data indicative of a browser navigation request from the wireless web enabled device, the browser navigation request being indicative of a predetermined URI; and

(iib) being responsive to the browser navigation for resolving the URI to the local web server such that the data indicative of the control interface is delivered in response to the browser navigation request.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein the networked media playback device provides a local domain name server for allowing resolution of the predetermined URI.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein the predetermined request includes data indicative of an IP address supplied by a remote server, wherein the remote server correlates user data for the networked media playback device with an IP address for the networked media playback device.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein the networked media playback device or networked media playback system is controllable in accordance with the UPnP protocol.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein the wireless web enabled device includes a memory unit that maintains one or more media files, and the one or more playback commands includes an instruction to render a selected one or more of the media files via the networked media playback device or networked media playback system.

7. A method according to claim 1 including the steps of:

connecting to a wireless network;

identifying one or more other networked media playback devices on the network;

determining whether or not to provide the local web server based on analysis of the one or more other networked media playback devices on the network, such that only a single control interface is provided on the network.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein the control interface is for a networked media playback system having a master networked media playback device, and the step of implementing the one or more playback control commands includes providing the one or more playback control commands to the master networked media playback device.

9. A non-transitive computer-readable medium encoded with a set of instructions that when executed by one or more processors cause the one or more processors to carry out a method according to claim 1 .

10. A media playback unit including:

a networking interface for connecting to a computer network;

a memory module that maintains data indicative of a browser renderable playback control interface, wherein the browser-renderable control interface is renderable as a graphical user interface that provides objects for selection of media for playback and control of media playback via the networked media playback device or networked media playback system; and

a processor that is configured to provide a web server, and thereby configured to deliver the data indicative of the browser renderable playback control interface to a wireless web enabled device, thereby to allow the device to control the media playback unit and/or a media playback system including the media playback unit,

wherein the data delivered to the wireless web enabled device includes browser renderable code defining the graphical user interface that provides objects for selection of media for playback and control of media playback via the networked media playback device or networked media playback system, thereby to enable loading of the browser renderable code by a web browser application of the wireless web enabled device, such that the loading of the browser renderable code renders the graphical user interface as a web page displayed by the web browser application.

11. The multimedia playback unit as recited in claim 10 , wherein the networking interface includes a radio interface and wherein the computer network is a wireless network.