Media transfer and control system

A media transfer and control system, comprising:

• a handheld electronic device having a processor and a memory, said handheld electronic device being configured for wireless communications, said memory storing a plurality of media files;
• and
• an audio/visual system having a controller for controlling the operation of said audio/visual system and an internal storage mechanism for storing digital information representative of media, said audio/visual system being configured for wireless communications;
• said processor of said handheld electronic device is:
• (i) responsive to one or more first inputs from a user of said handheld electronic device, configured to generate one or more control signals and cause said handheld electronic device to wirelessly transmit said one or more control signals to said audio/visual system, and (ii) responsive to one or more second inputs from said user of said handheld electronic device, configured to access a selected one or more of said media files from said memory and cause said handheld electronic device to wirelessly transmit media data based on said selected one or more of said media files to said audio/visual system;
• said audio/visual system, in response to wirelessly receiving said one or more control signals, provides said one or more control signals to said controller, said controller controlling the operation of said audio/visual system in accordance with said one or more control signals, and said audio/visual system, in response to wirelessly receiving said media data, performs at least one of:
• (i) immediately causing a media output to be generated based on said media data and (ii) causing said media data to be stored in said internal storage mechanism;
• said audio/visual system is configured to automatically and without a solicitation from said handheld electronic device wirelessly transmit to said handheld electronic device media descriptive data relating to media content that is currently available from said audio/visual system when said handheld electronic device and said audio/visual system are brought within wireless communications range of one another;
• said handheld electronic device is configured to automatically switch from a first mode, said first mode including said handheld electronic device generating a handheld electronic device media output based on said selected one or more of said plurality of media files, to a second mode, said second mode including wirelessly streaming said media data based on said selected one or more of said media files to said audio/visual system to produce a seamless transfer of the handheld electronic device media output to an audio/visual system media output when said handheld electronic device and said audio/visual system are brought within the wireless communications range of one another;
• said audio/visual system including an A/V receiver/tuner subsystem, said processor of said handheld electronic device configured to download from a third party source over a communications network information relating to media content that is available through said A/V receiver/tuner subsystem, and said controller of said audio/visual system is, in response to one or more of said one or more control signals received from said handheld electronic device, configured to cause said audio/visual system to at least one of:
• (i) wirelessly transmit selected media data based on said media content available through said A/V receiver/tuner subsystem to said handheld electronic device, and (ii) generate a selected media output based on said media content available through said A/V receiver/tuner subsystem;
• and
• said handheld electronic device storing a profile which specifies one or more operational parameters of said audio/visual system, and said handheld electronic device further configured to automatically generate and transmit to said audio/visual system one or more second control signals based on said profile when said handheld electronic device and said audio/visual system are brought within wireless communications range of one another, said one or more second control signals, when received by said controller, causing said controller to set the actual operational parameters of said audio/visual system in accordance with said profile.