At&t Intellectual Property I, L.p.

Gerard Edwards

Loraine Sanchez

Scott A White

James Leonard Cansler

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a set top box having a controller to eliminate a scheduled recording of a targeted media program, where the scheduled recording is a redundant recording of the targeted media program that is determined based upon monitoring of recordings of media programs by a group of set top boxes in communication with each other over a network, where another set top box of the group of set top boxes is designated as a host set top box to record the targeted media program, and where the controller is provided access to the targeted media program by the host set top box. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Apparatus and method for managing set top boxes

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a set top box having a controller to present media content, and provide access to related media content based upon access information, where the related media content is determined based upon monitoring of the media content, where the related media content is retrieved based on a query of a plurality of sources over the internet for ancillary information, and where the access information is associated with each of the plurality of sources and the ancillary information is at least one among a video blog, a pod cast or a website. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Apparatus and method for managing media content

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a set top box having a controller to generate a playlist that identifies multimedia content and to provide access to the playlist in response to a request for access, where the request for access is transmitted over the Internet, and where the multimedia content is stored remotely from the set top box. Other embodiments are disclosed.

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a media content processor having a controller adapted to establish communications with a voicemail system, receive a caller identification (ID) associated with a voicemail message stored in the voicemail system, detect a match between the caller ID and one among one or more communication identifiers recorded in an entry of an address book, retrieve an image excerpt associated with the entry of the address book, present the image excerpt at a media device to identify a calling party that recorded the voicemail message. Other embodiments are disclosed.

System for identifying a calling party

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a set top box having a controller to present media content to a user, and provide the user with access to related media content based upon access information, where the related media content is determined based upon monitoring of the media content, where the related media content is retrieved based on a query of a plurality of sources over the Internet, and where the access information is associated with each of the plurality of sources. Other embodiments are disclosed.

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Lansing, NY, United States of America

Gerard Edwards