Transfer of content between screens
Methods, systems, and computer readable media can be operable to facilitate the transfer and/or sharing of content between multiple devices. An interface may be used by a subscriber to cause content being viewed on a first device to be displayed at one or more other devices. Using an interface at a control device or source device, a user can select a content source, one or more target devices, and various options for outputting content from the content source at the target device(s). Selected content may be shared with or transferred to a target device.
1. A method comprising:
outputting a message to a control device, wherein the message comprises content source information and target device information, the content source information comprising information identifying one or more content sources and the target device information comprising information identifying one or more target devices;
receiving a message from the control device, wherein the message comprises an identification of a user-selected content source and an identification of one or more user-selected target devices, the user-selected content source comprising a client device from which a piece of content is output;
using the identification of the client device and a stored association between the client device and a piece of content currently output from the client device, identifying the piece of content that is output from the client device;
generating a content output instruction, wherein the content output instruction comprises information associated with the user-selected content source, the information identifying the piece of content that is output from the client device; and
outputting the content output instruction to the one or more user-selected target devices, wherein the content output instruction comprises information to be used by the one or more user-selected target devices to retrieve the piece of content that is output at the user-selected content source.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the content output instruction further comprises information identifying a point within the piece of content at which the piece of content is output at the user-selected content source when the content output instruction is generated.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the user-selected content source comprises the control device.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein a user-selected target device of the one or more user-selected the target devices is not in a powered-on state and the content output instruction further comprises a command for initiating the powering on of the user-selected target device.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a message from the control device, the message comprising subscriber information associated with the control device;
determining programming or services available to the control device based upon the subscriber information; and
wherein the one or more content sources comprise the programming or services available to the control device.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
outputting a message to the client device, the message requesting that the client device cease output of the piece of content.
7. An apparatus comprising:
an interface configured to be used to output a message to a control device, wherein the message comprises content source information and target device information, the content source information comprising information identifying one or more content sources and the target device information comprising information identifying one or more target devices;
an interface configured to be used to receive a message from the control device, wherein the message comprises an identification of a user-selected content source and an identification of one or more user-selected target devices, the user-selected content source comprising a client device from which a piece of content is output;
a module configured to identify the piece of content that is output from the client device by using the identification of the client device and a stored association between the client device and a piece of content currently output from the client device, and the module is further configured to generate a content output instruction, wherein the content output instruction comprises information associated with the user-selected content source, the information identifying the piece of content that is output from the client device; and
an interface configured to be used to output the content output instruction to the one or more user-selected target devices, wherein the content output instruction comprises information to be used by the one or more user-selected target devices to retrieve the piece of content that is output at the user-selected content source.
8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the content output instruction further comprises information identifying a point within the piece of content at which the piece of content is output at the user-selected content source when the content output instruction is generated.
9. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the user-selected content source comprises the control device.
10. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein a user-selected target device of the one or more user-selected target devices is not in a powered-on state and the content output instruction further comprises a command for initiating the powering on of the user-selected target device.
11. The apparatus of claim 7 , further comprising:
an interface configured to be used to receive a message from the control device, the message comprising subscriber information associated with the control device;
a module configured to determine programming or services available to the control device based upon the subscriber information; and
wherein the one or more content sources comprise the programming or services available to the control device.
12. The apparatus of claim 7 , further comprising:
an interface configured to be used to output a message to the client device, the message requesting that the client device cease output of the piece of content.
13. One or more non-transitory computer readable media having instructions operable to cause one or more processors to perform the operations comprising:
outputting a request for content source information and target device information, the content source information comprising information identifying one or more content sources and the target device information identifying one or more target devices;
receiving the requested content source information and target device information;
generating an interface comprising a list of content sources and a list of target devices;
receiving content selection input identifying a content source from the list of content sources, wherein the user-selected content source comprises a client device from which a piece of content is output;
receiving target device input identifying one or more target devices from the list of target devices; and
outputting a message identifying the identified content source and the one or more identified target devices.
14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13 , wherein each of the content sources and target devices are represented within the interface as an object.
15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 14 , wherein the content selection input and the target device input comprises a drag-and-drop technique, wherein a user selects a content source object, drags a virtual object representing the selected content source object to one or more target device objects, and drops the virtual object at the one or more target device objects.
16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 14 , wherein each object comprises a screenshot of content being displayed at the respective content source or target device.
17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13 , wherein the instructions are further operable to cause one or more processors to perform the operations comprising:
outputting a message comprising subscriber information; and
wherein the one or more content sources comprise available programming or services according to the subscriber information.
18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13 , wherein the instructions are further operable to cause one or more processors to perform the operations comprising:
wherein the content sources comprise one or more client devices; and
outputting a message comprising information identifying a point within content at which the content is output at the identified content source when the content source is identified.