# How Remote Servers Automatically Adjust Your TV Settings

> A method for a remote server to automatically configure a TV's picture and sound settings by analyzing what other users with similar viewing habits prefer.

- **Patent:** US 8689253
- **Original title:** Method and system for configuring media-playing sets
- **Owner:** Sharp Laboratories of America Inc
- **Granted:** 2014
- **Status:** Public domain (expired)
- **Times cited:** 4
- **Field:** consumer_electronics, software, telecommunications

## What it does

This patent describes a system where a remote server helps users configure their televisions without manual tweaking. The server collects data from many users to identify 'mutually integrable' settings—groups of settings like brightness, contrast, and audio levels that work well together. When a user specifies their viewing context, the server pushes the most popular, statistically favored configuration to their TV. The system also includes a feedback loop where users can use 'thumbs up' or 'thumbs down' buttons on their remote to accept or reject suggested settings, allowing the server to refine its recommendations over time.

## What it does NOT cover

- Does not cover local-only configuration where settings are stored and applied solely on the TV hardware without a remote server.
- Does not cover manual configuration methods that require the user to navigate through traditional on-screen menus.
- Does not cover systems that adjust settings based on real-time ambient light sensors rather than statistical user preference data.

## The clever bit

The system treats TV settings as a collaborative statistical problem, using 'mutually integrable' combinations—meaning it doesn't just set one value, but ensures a group of settings (like brightness and color balance) are compatible with each other based on what worked for other people.

## Real-world examples

1. Smart TV cloud-based picture mode presets
2. Remote diagnostic and configuration services for consumer electronics
3. Crowdsourced calibration profiles for high-end displays

## Why it matters

This patent addresses the frustration of complex TV calibration. By shifting the burden of configuration from the user to a cloud-based statistical model, it aims to ensure that consumers get optimal picture and sound quality based on the collective experience of others, rather than relying on their own technical knowledge.

## Frequently asked questions

### What does How Remote Servers Automatically Adjust Your TV Settings cover?

A method for a remote server to automatically configure a TV's picture and sound settings by analyzing what other users with similar viewing habits prefer.

### Who owns patent US 8689253?

Sharp Laboratories of America Inc owns this patent, granted in 2014.

### When does this patent expire?

This patent is expected to expire on April 1, 2034, when the invention enters the public domain.

### What is patent US 8689253 cited by?

This patent has been cited by 4 later patents that build on its ideas.

### What problem does this patent solve?

This patent addresses the frustration of complex TV calibration. By shifting the burden of configuration from the user to a cloud-based statistical model, it aims to ensure that consumers get optimal picture and sound quality based on the collective experience of others, rather than relying on their own technical knowledge.

### What does this patent NOT cover?

Does not cover local-only configuration where settings are stored and applied solely on the TV hardware without a remote server.

**Full plain-English explainer:** https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/8689253/netflix-recommendation-engine

**Original patent:** https://patents.google.com/patent/US8689253

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_Source: PatentBrief — https://patentbrief.org. Patent facts are from public records; the plain-English explanation is PatentBrief's._