Docking station with redundant communication path

A method of communicating between a programmable multimedia controller and a portable control device, comprising:

• at said programmable multimedia controller, downloading software configuration information to said portable control device allowing it to accept user selections at a user interface screen on the portable control device with respect to a component interfaced with the programmable multimedia controller;
• providing a docking station that receives the portable control device at an input means and accepts signals from the portable control device;
• confirming the presence of the portable control device at the input means of the docking station;
• connecting the docking station and the programmable multimedia controller for bi-directional communication with a wired redundant communication path;
• receiving user commands at the docking station and converting such signals to control requests IP signals;
• transmitting control requests across the wired, redundant communication path to the programmable multimedia controller;
• and
• receiving, at the programmable multimedia controller, signals from the docking station, and sending commands to one or more respective components implementing user selections.

A method of operating a docking station between a programmable multimedia controller and a portable control device, comprising:

• confirming the presence of a touch sensitive portable control device as being coupled to the docking station;
• connecting the docking station to a programmable multimedia controller with both a wireless connection and a wired, redundant communication path;
• receiving user entered selection signals from the touch sensitive portable control device regarding settings for components interfaced with the programmable multimedia controller;
• converting such selection signals into IP signals compatible with said wired, redundant communication path;
• sending said signals as control messages over the wired, redundant communication path to said programmable multimedia controller which in turn sends commands to respective components to implement the user's selections;
• receiving state information and meta data messages returned from the programmable multimedia controller;
• and
• passing state information and meta data signals to the portable control device to update the portable control device with the current state for respective components.