Set-top box circuitry supporting 2D and 3D content reductions to accommodate viewing environment constraints

Set top box circuitry supporting media delivery between one or more media content sources and a screen assembly, the screen assembly being part of a viewing environment, the set top box circuitry comprising:

• a media interface that communicatively couples with at least one of the one or more media content sources to receive first media content therefrom, the first media content having at least a first display requirement;
• a screen interface suitable for connection to the screen assembly, the screen interface being part of the viewing environment, and the viewing environment having a first constraint;
• and
• processing circuitry that, based at least in part on information related to the first constraint, determines whether to deliver the first media content or to deliver a substitute version of the first media content, the delivery being via the screen interface to the screen assembly, the information related to the first constraint comprising one or more of:
• a viewing mode of the screen assembly,
• a current location and/or head orientation of a viewer of the screen assembly,
• a characteristic of a media content source from which the first media content or the substitute version of the first media content is received, the media content source being an entity configured to transfer the first media content or the substitute version of the first media content to the set top box circuitry,
• a characteristic of a channel over which the first media content or the substitute version of the first media content is received from the media content source, and
• a characteristic of a channel over which the first media content or the substitute version of the first media content is delivered to the screen assembly.

A method of operation of set top box circuitry, comprising:

• receiving first media content via a media interface that is communicatively coupled to at least one media content source, the first media content comprising first three-dimensional media content and having at least a first display requirement;
• determining whether to deliver the first media content or a substitute version of the first media content to a screen assembly via a screen interface, the screen assembly and the screen interface being part of a viewing environment having a first constraint, where the determination is based at least in part on information related to the first constraint that comprises one or more of:
• a current viewing mode of the screen assembly,
• a current location and/or head orientation of a viewer of the screen assembly,
• a characteristic of a media content source from which the first media content or the substitute version of the first media content is received, the media content source being an entity configured to transfer the first media content or the substitute version of the first media content to the set top box circuitry,
• a characteristic of a channel over which the first media content or the substitute version of the first media content is received from the media content source, and
• a characteristic of a channel over which the first media content or the substitute version of the first media content is delivered to the screen assembly;
• and
• delivering either the first media content or the substitute version of the first media content to the screen assembly via the screen interface in accordance with the results of the determining step.