Abstract: A system and method for determining congestion of a communication link transmitting a media stream over the communication link from a sender device to a receiving device.

Abstract: A real time audio multi-point videoconferencing system comprising at least two videoconferencing endpoints in communication with a multipoint control unit, and a method of providing the real time audio. The method comprising capturing input lossless digital audio streams on each of the at least two videoconferencing endpoints, transmitting the input lossless digital audio streams from each of the at least two videoconferencing endpoints to the MCU using a frame size in the range 0.25 ms-3 ms, mixing, using the MCU, the input lossless digital audio streams into a plurality of output lossless digital audio streams, transmitting a different one of the plurality of output lossless digital audio streams to each of the at least two videoconferencing endpoints using a frame size in the range 0.25 ms-3 ms, and playback the plurality of output lossless digital audio streams on each of the at least two videoconferencing endpoints.

Abstract: A system and method of downspeeding a media stream transmitted over a communication link from a sender device to a receiving device.

Abstract: A system and method for streaming a video conference in a multi-point videoconferencing system includes video conferencing terminals in communication with a multipoint conferencing node (MCN), a streaming server in communication with the MCN and media stream viewers in communication with the streaming server.

Abstract: A system, method and computer program of upspeeding a media stream transmitted over a communication link from a sender device to a receiving device.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an image processing device and a method of framing changes and movements in a video image divided into N×N blocks of pixel positions. The method comprises calculating a first bitmap of the video image by a DCT transform on each of the N×N blocks of pixel positions, assigning a first binary value to the pixel positions of the N×N blocks when more than an amount of change, and a second binary value to the pixel positions of the N×N blocks when less than an amount of change. Calculating a third bitmap by an OR operation between a number of bitmaps representing past time frames of the video image, calculating a fourth bitmap by performing a dilation process of the third bitmap representing the current time frame of the video image, and creating one or more frames identifying area of changes and movements in the video image based on detecting BLOBs (Binary Large Objects) in the fourth bitmaps.

Abstract: The present invention includes a method and a system providing balancing of work items required to be completed as a whole over the available computing systems in a video conference node cluster, in addition to providing sufficient redundancy among conference nodes by means of consistent hash functions. Consistent hashing is based on mapping each object or work item to a point on a virtual circle. The system maps each available machine or node to many pseudo-randomly distributed points on the same circle. The present invention can be used for example in monitoring calendar servers for scheduled video conferences and providing a user interface icon to endpoints participating in a scheduled video conference through which the endpoints enter the video conference, or monitoring dial-ins from an endpoint participating in a scheduled video conference and dialing out to the other endpoints participating in the scheduled video conference.

Abstract: The present invention creates compositions of pictures in multipoint conferences that emulate natural interaction and existing aesthetic sensibilities learned from visual media by a combination of correcting and adapting the composition of the picture content and the layout, preferably in the MCN of the conference, where real-time conference data is available, in addition to statistics and knowledge of historical conference data. Further, cross checking incoming imagery against a ruleset where compositional deltas are identified is done, and these corrective transformations are applied, and the resulting corrections and remixes are applied to the layout. More advanced transformations to the final composition based on presence and context define a layout. The ruleset could be both static and dynamic, or a combination, and the final recomposition of the layout may be a result of both corrective and adaptive transformations.

Abstract: The present invention uses large intra blocks coding for uniform regions of the video by making early decision of intra block coding based on DCT and DC calculations. This has shown to increase the visual quality of uniform areas significantly, and by utilizing a possibility of parallel calculation, the extra processing cost for the early decision is insignificant.

Abstract: An orchestration server and a method of deploying a distributed videoconferencing system in cloud services are disclosed. The method including receiving, by an orchestration server, a proposed configuration of a distributed videoconferencing system, determining, by the orchestration server, a status of the proposed configuration of the distributed videoconferencing system, determining, by the orchestration server, based on the status of the proposed configuration of the distributed videoconferencing system, a determined configuration of the distributed videoconferencing system, initiating, by the orchestration server, according to the determined configuration of the distributed videoconferencing system at least one non-transcoding node at a first data center of a first cloud service provider, and initiating, by the orchestration server, according to the determined configuration of the distributed videoconferencing system at least one transcoding node at a second data center.

Abstract: A control unit and a method for a video conferencing system, the method performed by a control unit in a video conferencing system during an ongoing video conference, comprising a plurality of endpoints, comprising receiving at least one input media stream from at least one endpoint, detecting a first pointer event in the at least one input media stream, providing a first graphical item associated with the first pointer event, encoding the first graphical item in an output media stream, transmitting the output media stream to the at least one endpoint, detecting a second pointer event in the at least one input media stream from the at least one endpoint, and perform an action associated with the second pointer event, where one of a group consisting of a first and second pointer event includes one of a group consisting of a light signal, a gesture, and a sound signal.

Abstract: Load balancing in a multimedia conference is disclosed, involving one or more internal terminals and one or more internal nodes separated from one or more external terminals and one or more external nodes by a firewall. Media data is forwarded through the firewall to at least a second one of the nodes, and received media data at the at least a second one of said nodes are processed. At a first event, reconfiguration is performed of said first one of said nodes to process received media data and of said second one of said nodes to forward received media data to said first one of said nodes. At a second event, loading is done of at least a part of said received media data being processed at the first one or second one of said nodes to at least a third one of said nodes.

Abstract: A method and a decoding or coding device for calculating at least one of run and level representations of respective quantized transform coefficients representing pixel values in a block of a video picture inserted in a coefficient array is disclosed. The method and the decoding or coding device are adjusted to generate a bitmask of the quantized transform coefficients, respectively perform a look up of the 8 least significant bits and the 8 most significant bits of the bitmask in a look up table, patch the looked up lower part and upper part bytemap values and insert the bytes of the first bytemap array from index position 8 minus the number of non-zeros in the 8 least significant bits of the bitmask.

Abstract: A method and a device for providing for sharing encoder resources in an MCU without compromising with image quality and bandwidth adaption is provided. The method and device comprises dynamic allocation of encoders in a multi-party video conference of a number of endpoints, wherein the video conference endpoints are adapted to encode and transmit a media stream comprising the steps of creating a new encoder at a request for a new pad, determining whether a maximum number of encoders is reached, if the maximum number of encoders is not reached, then linking the new pad to the new encoder, if the maximum number of encoders is reached, then linking all existing pads to the new encoder, 15 and releasing all unused encoders.

Abstract: A method for managing media streams including at least video data and audio data in a multi-party video conference involving one or more groups of one or more nodes respectively receiving a media stream from each of a plurality of associated endpoints is provided. In each of the one or more nodes of each of the one or more groups, the loudest audio of the media streams received from the respective plurality of associated endpoints is determined. An indication of the volume of the determined loudest audio and an identification of the node is transmitted to a decision maker. The highest received volume and the associated identification is determined. The node of the identification is instructed to transmit the received media stream of the endpoint to one of: all nodes in the one or more groups and to a proxy.

Abstract: A method to quickly determine whether a macroblock in H.264 or other similar standards should be encoded in skip mode in a SIMD processor environment is provided. The method exploits the fact that the processor provides enough register space to store N=4 4×4 set of 8 bits data. By performing 4 consecutive reads of 16 linear aligned values into 16 SIMD register variables each capable of storing 16 values, the entire data set for operating can be stored within the processors SIMD register variables and can be operated upon, without any memory related latency.

Abstract: According to a general embodiment of the present invention, a computer, tablet or smart phone executable application is provided, allowing a user of the application to activate pairing of the device and a video conference session allowing e.g. for streaming of duo video content or other forms of presentations streams of the video conference session from video conference infrastructure like MCUs, conference bridges or servers.

Abstract: A method and a device for providing for sharing encoder resources in an MCU without compromising with image quality and bandwidth adaption is provided. The method and device comprises dynamic allocation of encoders in a multi-party video conference of a number of endpoints, wherein the video conference endpoints are adapted to encode and transmit a media stream comprising the steps of creating a new encoder at a request for a new pad, determining whether a maximum number of encoders is reached, if the maximum number of encoders is not reached, then linking the new pad to the new encoder, if the maximum number of encoders is reached, then linking all existing pads to the new encoder, 15 and releasing all unused encoders.

Abstract: A method and a device providing one virtual endpoint dedicated to serve one particular real endpoint, and the virtual endpoint is typically installed on a server in the same local network as the associated real endpoint, where an MCU or a fraction of a distributed MCCJ also is installed. In the upstream direction, the virtual endpoint includes at least an upstream decoder, a scaling unit and an upstream encoder. In the downstream direction, the virtual endpoint includes at least a number of decoders, a composing unit and a downstream encoder.