System and method of providing audio content

A computer program embedded in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the computer program comprising:

• instructions to receive a voice command at an audio input of a set-top box device, wherein the voice command specifies audio content to be output by the set-top box device, and wherein receipt of the voice command by the audio input indicates that the set-top box device is to output the audio content via an audio output device without video output sent to an external display device coupled to the set-top box device;
• instructions to determine whether the audio content is stored at a local memory device of the set-top box device;
• instructions to retrieve the audio content from the local memory device when the audio content is stored at the local memory device;
• instructions to send a request for the audio content to a remote content provider via a private access network coupled to the set-top box device when the audio content is not stored at the local memory device;
• instructions to send an audio signal corresponding to the audio content to an the audio output device;
• and
• instructions to send metadata descriptive of the audio content to a display disposed on a visible side of the set-top box device.

A method, comprising:

• receiving a voice command at an audio input of a set-top box device, wherein the voice command specifies audio content to be output by the set-top box device, and wherein receipt of the voice command indicates that the audio content is to be sent to an audio output device without sending video output to an external display device coupled to the set-top box device via a display interface of the set-top box device;
• determining whether the audio content is stored at a local memory device of the set-top box device;
• when the audio content is stored at the local memory device, accessing the audio content from the local memory device;
• when the audio content is not stored at the local memory device, sending a request for the audio content to a remote content provider via a private access network coupled to the set-top box device;
• when the audio content is part of multimedia content, filtering out video content of the multimedia content and not sending the video content to the external display device via the display interface;
• sending a verbal audio cue that identifies the audio content to the audio output device;
• sending metadata descriptive of the audio content to a display disposed on a visible side of the set-top box device, wherein the display is distinct from the external display device;
• and
• sending an audio signal corresponding to the audio content to the audio output device after sending the verbal audio cue that identifies the audio content to the audio output device.