Abstract: A system and method for dynamically establishing optimum audio quality in an audio conference is disclosed. A connection with one or more remote communication devices is initially established. An available data rate associated with the connection is then determined. Next, a bandwidth is assigned based on the available data rate. Finally, the assigned bandwidth is adjusted according to the available data rate.

Abstract: A distance learning scenario includes a local classroom having a local videoconferencing device communicating with a remote videoconferencing device at a remote classroom. A first local camera captures images of the local participants, a second local camera captures images of an instructor, and a local display screen displays images of remote participants. At the remote location, a first remote camera captures images of remote participants, a first remote display screen displays images of local participants, and a second remote display screen displays images of the instructor. The local display screen is situated on a side of the local presenter that is substantially opposite to the side on which the first remote display screen is situated relative to the second remote display screen at the remote location to implement video-mirroring. The local and remote display screens display life-size images of the participants and the instructor.

Abstract: A bank of processing units is connected to a number of LANs via a bank of MAC controllers. An interconnect switch allows any of the processing units to access any of the MAC controllers. A housekeeping processor periodically detects faults in the connectivity of the processing units to the LANs. When a fault is detected, a redundant processing unit is assigned to be connected to the LAN. If a fault still exists, then a redundant MAC controller is assigned to the redundant processing unit. The MAC address of the previous MAC controller is reassigned to the redundant MAC controller.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices for improving speaker performance with an acoustic damped port are disclosed. In accordance with various embodiments of the present invention, a damping material is placed around a vented frame of a speaker driver, and substantially covers or fills the vents of the frame. In some embodiments, the damping material results in improved impedance matching with acoustic delay, without required dimensional tuning (as with conventional ports). In some embodiments, it also reduces the air velocity gradients minimizing higher order frequency distortion components. In some embodiments, the damping material also acts as an absorber of energy by coupling to the sound wave. In some embodiments, low-frequency performance is improved in a small-scale design.

Abstract: Systems and methods of providing access to meeting content via an interface to meeting scheduling software are described. A meeting organizer schedules a meeting or conference meeting with selected participants. The meeting is held with the available participants and meeting content is automatically maintained as an association to a calendar entry in the meeting scheduling software. After the meeting is completed, available participants may review content and unavailable participants (those that were unable to attend) may view the content of the meeting. Participants may further be able to augment the meeting content and make the augmented content available to all meeting participants via a historical calendar entry.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for utilizing multiple co-processors, of a multiprocessor processing device, in tandem to improve performance for H.264 video decoding operations. The video decoding operation may be split across the multiple High Definition Video Image Co-Processors (HDVICPs) of a multiprocessor device such as Texas Instrument's DM6467 utilizing a spatially shifted temporal split to improve overall performance of the video decoding operation while conforming to the H.264 standard.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method and apparatus for mixing compressed video useable in a videoconferencing environment having a plurality of endpoint users. Through the use of the method and apparatus, each endpoint can receive a unique layout displaying some subset of the users at the endpoints. Input streams from each endpoint are uncompressed, resized, and scaled to fit the segment in the layout for particular endpoints, and then encoded (or compressed) by a sub-encoder into a sub-encoded stream according to the compression parameters. Each sub-encoded streams is further encoded and associated with a position in the layout. Different layouts may be sent to different conferees, and different compression standards may be used for each endpoint.

Abstract: A videoconferencing system includes a camera, a microphone, and an interface module. The module is coupled a modem connected to a television network and is coupled to a television set and a set-top box. The module decodes encoded audio video signals received from the modem that are part of a videoconferencing session. The module also encodes audio and video signals received from the camera and the microphone and sends the encoded audio video signals to the modem to be part of the videoconferencing session. The module can selectively send decoded audio signals to the television set or can selectively send video received from the set-top box to the television display. In addition, the module can send compressed audio and video signals received from the microphone and camera to the set-top box for processing and delivery to the television display.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for digital video encoding is disclosed. The disclosed system provides for an improved way of correcting divergence of a reference block in a decoder while minimizing the overhead required to update the reference block.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods and systems for providing continuous presence video stream in a cascading video conference, i.e., a video conference that is conducted over more than one MCU. A cascading continuous presence composition controller (CCCC) selects which endpoints from among all of the endpoints participating in the conference should be displayed in the layout, regardless of which endpoints are associated with which MCU. The CCCC can be resident on one of the MCUs, resident on a cascading conference server, or can be distributed among all of the MCUs involved in a cascading conference.

Abstract: Devices and techniques for overcoming lost packets and avoiding congestion when conducting media conferences over packet switched networks are described herein. To avoid the problem of lost packets, redundant information is inserted into the media stream that permits the receiver to reconstruct any lost packets from the redundant information. Congestion avoidance techniques include adjusting the bitrate of the media stream to find the highest bitrate that can be supported without packet loss due to congestion. When increasing the bitrate to a higher rate, the additional bits can come from the redundant information used for lost packet recovery so that any lost packets caused by network congestion will not adversely affect the bitstream.

Abstract: A multiplexed microphone signal with multiple signal processing paths is disclosed. Each signal processing path has it own priority and other characteristics. A signal path is selected based on the application of the processed signal. Similar processes within different paths may be shared to reduce computation workload.

Abstract: A system and method is disclosed for composing a video layout having an aspect ratio of 16:9 from a plurality of video segments having an aspect ratio other than 16:9. For example, the plurality of video segments might have an aspect ratio of 4:3. To create a composite frame having an aspect ratio of about 16:9, the disclosed system scales each one of the segments and places each scaled segment in the layout in such a way that the composite layout has an aspect ratio of about 16:9.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods, systems, and devices for improved audio, video, and data conferencing. The present invention provides a conferencing system comprising a plurality of endpoints communicating data including audio data and control data according to a communication protocol. A local conference endpoint may control or be controlled by a remote conference endpoint. Data comprising control signals may be exchanged between the local endpoint and remote endpoint via various communication protocols. In other embodiments, the present invention provides for improved bridge architecture for controlling functions of conference endpoints including controlling functions of the bridge.

Abstract: A method for decreasing end-to-end delay in a video conferencing context is disclosed. At video conferencing system startup, a processor is initialized to receive either a top field or a bottom field of video frame data. If the first line of a new field arriving after initialization does not match a field state that the processor is initialized to, the present invention senses the state mismatch and adjusts a display buffer by one display line, and the field is stored in the display buffer. The display buffer is adjusted in order to preserve a vertical spatial relationship between the top and bottom fields.

Abstract: The present application discloses a method and apparatus for a multipoint video conferencing system that can offer a wide variety of layouts and the ability to support a large number of conferees. A received stream of NALs from a plurality of endpoints can be processed by an exemplary NAL Processor Module (NPM) and be arranged into a stream of NALs that are referred to in this disclosure as organized NALs (ONALs). Two or more streams of compressed video organized into ONALs can be received by an exemplary NAL Editor Module (NEM), wherein each stream was created from a video image that was generated at an endpoint participating in the conference. An exemplary NEM can comprise a compressed composed frame memory (CCFM) module. Each CCFM can be divided into segments according to the layout of the continuous presence (CP) image that is to be displayed by one or more receiving endpoints.

Abstract: A conferencing system for an enterprise is disclosed. The conferencing system initiates a scheduled conference upon detecting that a scheduled conferee is present at a conferencing endpoint.

Abstract: A video and/or audio conferencing system having virtual meeting room services is disclosed. The virtual meeting room services enables a third party to control and manage one or more virtual meeting rooms. Each third party organization may receive one or more dial in numbers, which is associated with a profile that defines the type of the conference that can be conducted. The profile defines the “capabilities” of the virtual meeting room, such as the maximum number of conferees, type of conference, type of endpoints, transcoding and protocol requirement, etc. Each virtual meeting room may have an NID (Numerical Identification) used by the peers along with the dial-in number to join the virtual meeting room.

Abstract: Systems and methods for digitally linking multiple microphones and managing microphone signals are provided. Embodiments provide for digitally linking of multiple auto-mixer systems where a large number of microphones are required. In large auto-mixer systems, microphone input channels may be distributed among many devices. Rather than transmitting these signals individually to a central processing device for the auto-mixer, it is most efficient to distribute the audio signal processing functions of the automatic microphone mixer among multiple devices in an audio conferencing system. Subsequently, a smaller number of gated mixes of microphone signals may be transmitted between devices. Thus, embodiments of the present invention act to digitally link multiple microphone signals, arbitrating these signals, in order to enable distributed automatic microphone mixers to behave as a single mixer.

Abstract: A system and method for communication channel and device control via an existing audio channel. A combined communication signal is received from a communication device comprising an audio signal and a modulated carrier signal via an audio channel. The audio signal is separated from the carrier signal. Digital data is extracted from the carrier signal. Device control is performed utilizing the extracted digital data.