Method and system for controlling closed captioning at a content distribution system

1. A method comprising:

communicating content from a server device to a client device;

determining a content type at the server device corresponding to the content communicated from the server device to the client device;

in response to determining the content type, generating a closed-captioning disable signal;

communicating the closed-captioning disable signal to the client device from the server device; and

disabling closed-captioning at the client device in response to the closed-captioning disable signal.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein communicating content comprises communicating content through a local area network.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein determining a content type comprises determining a closed-captioning exempt type or a closed-captioning non-exempt type.

4. A method as recited in claim 3 wherein generating a closed-captioning disable signal comprises generating the closed-captioning disable signal in response to the closed-captioning exempt type.

5. A method as recited in claim 4 further comprising generating a closed-captioning enable signal in response to the closed-captioning non-exempt type.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising enabling closed-captioning at the client device and wherein disabling the closed-captioning at the client device comprises disabling the closed-captioning when closed-captioning is enabled at the client device.

7. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising after disabling, in response to determining the content type generating a closed-captioning enable signal.

8. A method as recited in claim 7 further comprising communicating the closed-captioning enable signal to the client device.

9. A method as recited in claim 7 further comprising displaying closed-captioning on a display associated with the client device in response to the closed-captioning enable signal.

10. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein disabling closed-captioning at the client device comprises disabling closed-captioning at the client device by disabling a closed-captioning decoder.

11. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising generating a closed-captioning menu selection at the client device;

communicating the closed-captioning menu selection to the server device;

enabling control of the client device from the server device to store a closed-captioning menu selection;

storing the closed-captioning menu selection at the client device; and

thereafter, disabling control of the client device.

12. A system comprising:

a client device; and

a server device that communicates content to the client device, that determines a content type corresponding to the content communicated from the server device to the client device, that generates a closed-captioning disable signal and that communicates the closed-captioning disable signal to the client device; and

wherein the client device disables closed-captioning in response to the closed-captioning disable signal.

13. A system as recited in claim 12 further comprising a local area network in communication with the client device and the server device and wherein the server device communicates content to the client device through the local area network.

14. A system as recited in claim 12 wherein the content type comprises a closed-captioning exempt type or a closed-captioning non-exempt type.

15. A system as recited in claim 14 wherein the server device generates a closed-captioning disable signal in response to a closed-captioning exempt type.

16. A system as recited in claim 14 wherein the server device generates a closed-captioning enable signal in response to the closed-captioning non-exempt type.

17. A system as recited in claim 12 wherein the client device enables closed-captioning and wherein the server device disables the closed-captioning at the client device when closed-captioning is enabled at the client device.

18. A system as recited in claim 12 wherein the server device generates a closed-captioning enable signal and communicates the closed caption enable signal to the client device and wherein the client device displays closed-captioning on a display associated with the client device in response to the closed-captioning enable signal.

19. A system as recited in claim 12 wherein the client device comprises a closed-captioning decoder and wherein the server device disables the closed-captioning decoder.

20. A system as recited in claim 12 wherein the client device generates a closed-captioning menu selection an communicates the closed-captioning menu selection to the server device,

wherein the server device enables control of the client device to store a closed-captioning selection;

wherein the client device stores the closed-captioning selection; and

wherein the server device disables control of the client device after the selection is stored.