External network control of media services

1. A method of delivering video services comprising:

receiving a request for video services from a remote selection application via a public access network, wherein the request for video services includes identification information related to the remote selection application;

determining a type of a client video device for receiving the requested video services and a location associated with the client video device, wherein the request for the video services lacks customer premise location information for the client video device and lacks transmission information for the client video device;

determining if the client video device is an out-of-band device having an out-of-band channel and forcing a predetermined frequency and channel via the out-of-band channel if the client video device has the out-of band channel;

determining, based on the location associated with the client video device, a known transmission medium previously associated with the location associated with the client video device if the client video device is a one-way device and the known transmission medium was previously associated with the location associated with the client video device;

determining that a communication medium available to a co-located two way device is also available to the client video device if the client video device is a one-way device and the co-located two way device is associated with the same location associated with the client video device; and

sending an identity of an available transmission medium to the client video device for requesting a feedback confirmation of the identity received by a user via a rendering device if a co-located device is not available.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the type and location of the client video device comprises:

determining, based on the received request, an address of the client video device, the address known to the headend for providing the video services, the request emanating from an independent network location different than the client video device; and

computing, from a discovered mapping of transmission mediums to set top boxes, a quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) corresponding to the address of the client video device.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

computing a transmission medium for transporting the requested video services;

computing a video channel in communication with the client video device, and

directing the client video device to receive the requested video services on the computed video channel.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

mapping an identity of a user device to corresponding client video devices; and

identifying a frequency and a channel from quadrature amplitude modulations (QAMs) visible to the client video device.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising, upon determining two-way capability in the client video device, determining if the client video device has a video-on-demand (VOD) client, and if so:

loading firmware responsive to a server setup command; and

generating a server setup command for the client video device to receive a frequency and a program number for VOD.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the client video device is coupled to a local control, the client video device responsive to both the local control and the remote selection application for controlling the requested video services.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising, upon determining two-way capability in the client video device, determining if the client video device has a switched digital video (SDV) interface, and if so:

sending a forced tuning command to direct the client video device to switch to frequency and program number for video-on-demand (VOD).

8. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving the request from the remote selection application further comprises:

receiving the request for video services from a browser application over an IP network; and

delivering the requested video services on an independent hybrid fiber coax (HFC) network, the client video device having a network identity on the HFC network distinct from the browser application.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising mapping an identity of a personal communication device executing the remote selection application to a network location of the client video device, and selecting a channel and frequency associated with the client video device.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising associating a network identify of the remote selection application with a network location of the client video device, the network identity based on an independent numbering domain of network identities than a domain network location.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the type and location of the client video device for receiving the requested video services is based the identity of the remote selection application.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

performing a mapping based on an identity of the remote selection application to determine a network location of the client video device.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining, based on the type of the client video device, a command for directing the client video device to receive the requested video services; and

delivering the computed command followed by the video services, wherein the command includes a data carousel if the client video device operates as the one-way device.

14. A video delivery server comprising:

a headend configured to receive a request for video services from a remote selection application via a public access network, wherein the request for video services includes identification information related to the remote selection application;

a discovery server for determining a type of a client video device for receiving the requested video services and a location associated with the client video device, wherein the request for the video services lacks customer premise location information for the client video device and lacks transmission information for the client video device, wherein the video delivery server forces a predetermined frequency and channel via an out-of-band channel if the client video device has the out-of band channel;

a quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) mapping for computing, based on the location of the client video device, a transmission medium for transporting the requested video services, wherein the transmission medium is computed from discovered transmission mediums reported by the client video device if the client video device is a two-way device, wherein a known transmission medium previously associated with the location associated with the client video device is computed if the client video device is a one-way device and the known transmission medium was previously associated with the location associated with the client video device, wherein a same communication medium available to a co-located two way device is computed if the client video device is a one-way device and the co-located two way device is available and is associated with the same location associated with the client video device;

the headend having a session manager responsive to the request for computing, based on the type of the client video device, a command for directing the client video device to receive the requested video services, wherein the command includes a data carousel if the client video device operates as a one-way device and an identity of an available transmission medium to the client video device for requesting a feedback confirmation of the identity received by a user via a rendering device if a co-located device is not available; and

an interface to a hybrid fiber coax (HFC) network for delivering the computed command followed by the video service.

15. The video delivery server of claim 14 wherein the discovery server is further configured to:

determine, based on the received request for computing, an address of the client video device, the address known to the headend for providing the video services, the request for computing emanating from an independent network location different than the client video device; and

compute, from a discovered mapping of transmission mediums to set top boxes, a QAM corresponding to the address of the client video device.

16. The video delivery server of claim 14 wherein the video delivery server invokes the QAM mapping to:

compute a video channel in communication with the client video device, and

direct the client video device to receive the requested video services on a computed video channel.

17. The video delivery server of claim 14 further configured to, upon determining two-way capability in the client video device, determine if the client video device has a video-on-demand (VOD) client, and if so:

load firmware responsive to a server setup command; and

generate a server setup command for the client video device to receive a frequency and a program number for VOD.

18. The video delivery server of claim 17 further configured to, upon determining two-way capability in the client video device, determine if the client video device has a switched digital video (SDV) interface, and if so:

sending a forced tuning command to direct client video device to switch to a frequency and a program number for VOD.

19. The video delivery server of claim 14 wherein receiving the request for video services from the remote selection application further comprises:

receiving the request for video services from a browser application over an IP network; and

delivering the requested video services on an independent hybrid fiber coax (HFC) network, the client video device having a network identity on the hybrid fiber coax network distinct from the browser application.

20. The video delivery server of claim 13 wherein computing the command for directing the client video device includes receiving a user command for tuning to a specified channel carrying the requested video services.

21. A computer program product having an encoded set of processor based instructions on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium for performing a method of delivering video services comprising:

receiving a request for video services from a remote selection application via a public access network, wherein the request for video services includes identification information related to the remote selection application;

determining a type of a client video device for receiving the requested video services and a location associated with the client video device, the request for video services emanating from an independent network location different than the client video device, wherein the request for the video services lacks customer premise location information for the client video device and lacks transmission information for the client video device;

determining if the client video device is an out-of-band device having an out-of-band channel and forcing a predetermined frequency and channel via the out-of-band channel if the client video device has the out-of band channel;

determining, based on the location associated with the client video device, a known transmission medium previously associated with the location associated with the client video device if the client video device is a one-way device and the known transmission medium was previously associated with the location associated with the client video device;

determining that a communication medium available to a co-located two way device is also available to the client video device if the co-located two way device is associated with the same location as the location associated with the client video device; and

sending an identity of an available transmission medium to the client video device for requesting a feedback confirmation of the identity received by a user via a rendering device if a co-located device is not available.