Automated programming of a remote control

1. An electronic device, configured to communicate with

a portable electronic device comprising a remote control, and

a second electronic device,

wherein the electronic device and the second electronic device do not comprise a remote control, and the electronic device is configured to:

receive an image associated with the second electronic device, wherein a brand and a model of the second electronic device are initially unknown to the electronic device;

perform image analysis on the image to determine at least the brand of the second electronic device;

access, based at least in part on the determined brand, a set of remote-control commands that are associated with the second electronic device;

store the set of remote-control commands in memory;

receive user-interface activity information from the portable electronic device that specifies selection of the second electronic device; and

selectively provide to the portable electronic device one or more commands of the set of remote-control commands intended for the second electronic device in response to the user-interface activity information.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein receiving the image comprises wired or wireless communication, while providing the set of remote-control commands comprises wireless communication.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the set of remote-control commands comprises commands associated with infrared communication.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein performing the image analysis comprises:

providing the image intended for a computer; and

receiving second information associated with the computer that specifies at least the brand of the second electronic device.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the image analysis determines the model of the second electronic device, and accessing the set of remote-control commands is based at least in part on the determined model.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein accessing the set of remote-control commands comprises receiving the set of remote-control commands associated with a computer.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein, when the model of the second electronic device remains unknown after the image analysis, accessing the set of remote-control commands comprises:

accessing multiple sets of remote-control commands that are potentially associated with the second electronic device and that comprise the set of remote-control commands, wherein the sets of remote-control commands are accessed based at least in part on the determined brand, a type of the second electronic device or both; and

providing, intended for the portable electronic device, at least a remote-control command in a given set of remote-control commands that is associated with a given model, along with an instruction for the portable electronic device to output at least the remote-control command to the second electronic device;

monitoring whether the second electronic device responds to at least the remote-control command;

repeat the providing and monitoring operations with different remote-control commands in the sets of remote-control commands until a response of the second electronic device is detected; and

identifying the model of the second electronic device based at least in part on the detected response.

8. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the monitoring comprises monitoring an interface between the electronic device and the second electronic device for a change in activity of the second electronic device or a change in state of the electronic device.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein, when the model of the second electronic device remains unknown after the image analysis, accessing the set of remote-control commands comprises:

accessing multiple sets of remote-control commands that are potentially associated with the second electronic device and that comprise the set of remote-control commands, wherein the sets of remote-control commands are accessed based at least in part on the determined brand, a type of the second electronic device or both; and

providing, intended for the second electronic device, at least a command corresponding to at least a remote-control command in the given set of remote-control commands that is associated with a given model;

monitoring whether the second electronic device responds to at least the command;

repeating the providing and monitoring operations with different commands corresponding to different remote-control commands in the sets of remote-control commands until a response of the second electronic device is detected; and

identifying the model of the second electronic device based at least in part on the detected response.

10. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the monitoring comprises monitoring an interface between the electronic device and the second electronic device for a change in activity of the second electronic device or a change in state of the electronic device.

11. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the image comprises a logo or a graphical icon associated with the second electronic device.

12. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the image comprises a set of predefined images associated with different brands and different models of electronic devices.

13. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein selectively providing to the portable electronic device one or more commands of the set of remote-control commands further comprises providing the portable electronic device a subset of the remote-control commands that does not include the entire set of remote-control commands.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for use with an electronic device, the computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions that, when executed by the electronic device, causes the electronic device to perform operations comprising:

receiving an image associated with a second electronic device, wherein a brand and a model of the second electronic device are initially unknown to the electronic device;

performing image analysis on the image to determine at least the brand of the second electronic device;

accessing, based at least in part on the determined brand, a set of remote-control commands that are associated with the second electronic device;

storing the set of remote-control commands in memory;

receiving user-interface activity information from the portable electronic device that specifies selection of the second electronic device, wherein the portable electronic device comprises a remote control and the electronic device and the second electronic device do not comprise a remote control; and

selectively providing, to the portable electronic device, one or more commands of the set of remote-control commands intended for the second electronic device in response to the user-interface activity information.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein the set of remote-control commands comprises commands associated with infrared communication.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein performing the image analysis comprises:

providing the image intended for a computer; and

receiving second information associated with the computer that specifies at least the brand of the second electronic device.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein accessing the set of remote-control commands comprises receiving the set of remote-control commands associated with a computer.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein, when the model of the second electronic device remains unknown after the image analysis, accessing the set of remote-control commands comprises:

accessing multiple sets of remote-control commands that are potentially associated with the second electronic device and that comprise the set of remote-control commands, wherein the sets of remote-control commands are accessed based at least in part on the determined brand, a type of the second electronic device or both; and

providing at least a remote-control command in a given set of remote-control commands that is intended for the portable electronic device and that is associated with a given model, along with an instruction for the portable electronic device to output at least the remote-control command to the second electronic device;

monitoring whether the second electronic device responds to at least the remote-control command;

repeating the providing and monitoring operations with different remote-control commands in the sets of remote-control commands until a response of the second electronic device is detected; and

identifying the model of the second electronic device based at least in part on the detected response.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein, when the model of the second electronic device remains unknown after the image analysis, accessing the set of remote-control commands comprises:

accessing multiple sets of remote-control commands that are potentially associated with the second electronic device and that comprise the set of remote-control commands, wherein the sets of remote-control commands are accessed based at least in part on the determined brand, a type of the second electronic device or both; and

providing at least a command corresponding to at least a remote-control command in the given set of remote-control commands that is intended for the second electronic device and that is associated with a given model;

monitoring whether the second electronic device responds to at least the command;

repeating the providing and monitoring operations with different commands corresponding to different remote-control commands in the sets of remote-control commands until a response of the second electronic device is detected; and

identifying the model of the second electronic device based at least in part on the detected response.

20. A method for obtaining a set of remote-control commands, wherein the method comprises:

by an electronic device:

receiving an image associated with a second electronic device, wherein a brand and a model of the second electronic device are initially unknown to the electronic device;

performing image analysis on the image to determine at least the brand of the second electronic device;

accessing, based at least in part on the determined brand, the set of remote-control commands that are associated with the second electronic device;

storing the set of remote-control commands in memory;

receiving user-interface activity information from the portable electronic device that specifies selection of the second electronic device, wherein the portable electronic device comprises a remote control and the electronic device and the second electronic device do not comprise a remote control; and

selectively providing, to the portable electronic device, one or more commands of the set of remote-control commands intended for the second electronic device in response to the user-interface activity information.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein accessing the set of remote-control commands comprises receiving the set of remote-control commands associated with a computer.