Systems, methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture to control audio playback devices

1. An audio playback device, comprising:

a speaker to play audio based on audio information received from one of a plurality of signal sources, the plurality of signal sources including a display device and a network-based audio information source;

a device interface including at least a first interface and a second interface, the device interface to identify a first message as being received from the display device via the first interface; and

a source selector configured to change configuration of the audio playback device such that the signal source of the speaker is switched from the network-based audio information source received via the second interface to the display device received via the first interface in response to the first message from the display device such that the speaker plays audio based on audio information received from the display device via the first interface,

wherein the device interface is to receive a second message from the display device when the signal source is the display device, the second message being based on a command from a user input device configured to communicate with the display device and including a volume command, the speaker to change a volume of the audio based on the second message.

2. An audio playback device as defined in claim 1 , further comprising a user input interface to receive a first command from a user input device, the device interface to send a second message to the display device based on the first command.

3. An audio playback device as defined in claim 2 , wherein the source selector is to change the signal source from the display device to the network-based audio information source in response to the first command, and the second message is to include a mute command.

4. An audio playback device as defined in claim 1 , wherein the device interface is to send a third message to at least one additional playback device based on the second message to cause the at least one additional playback device to play audio from the display device in synchrony with the audio output device.

5. An audio playback device as defined in claim 1 , wherein the first message is based on a command from a user input device configured to communicate with the display device.

6. An audio playback device as defined in claim 5 , wherein the command is at least one of a power-on command or a volume command.

7. An audio playback device as defined in claim 1 , wherein the device interface is to communicate with the display device and the network-based audio information source via at least one of a wired network or a wireless network.

8. An audio playback device as defined in claim 1 , wherein the device interface is to send audio information associated with the display device to at least one additional playback device to cause the at least one additional playback device to play audio from the display device in synchrony with the audio output device.

9. An audio playback device as defined in claim 1 , wherein the display device is a television and the device interface is to communicate with the television via a packet-based connection.

10. An audio playback device as defined in claim 1 , wherein the network-based audio information source is a network-based source of digital audio information.

11. A system comprising an audio playback device in communication with a network-based audio source and a television, the audio playback device configured to:

generate, at the audio playback device, a first audio output based on first audio information received at the audio playback device via a first interface from the network-based audio source;

receive, at the audio playback device via a second interface, a first message from the television based on a user input to the television, the first message comprising at least one of a volume command, a mute command, or a power command, the first message triggering a change in configuration of the audio playback device from processing the first audio information to processing second audio information received at the audio playback device from the television; and

generate, at the audio playback device in response to the first message, a second audio output based on the second audio information.

12. A system as defined in claim 11 , wherein the television is to generate the message based on the user input, the user input comprising a volume command.

13. A system as defined in claim 11 , wherein the television and the audio playback device are coupled via a local area network and the message is a packet-based network message.

14. A system as defined in claim 11 , wherein the audio playback device is to receive a second command from a user input device configured to communicate with the audio playback device, generate third audio signals based on second audio information from the network-based audio source, and transmit a second message to the television, the television to change a volume setting of the television based on the second message.

15. A system as defined in claim 14 , wherein the audio playback device is to generate the third audio signals to have substantially the same volume immediately following a change in audio information from the television to the network-based audio source as the volume preceding the change in the audio information.