Abstract: The present invention relates to an audio communication system and method with improved acoustic characteristics. It combines the benefits from full band echo cancellers and sub-band echo cancellers, by merging the filter taps of sub-band filters into the respective full-band filter taps, which is being used to generate the inverted echo estimate in the echo canceller.

Abstract: A device, system, and computer-readable medium for an interactive whiteboard including an interface which receives a first control signal from a touch-sensitive display surface and a second control signal from a codec, the first control signal identifying a position on the touch-sensitive display surface, and the second control signal identifying a codec setting of the codec; and a processor which calculates, based on the first control signal and the second control signal, a corresponding position on a display screen of a computing device to the position on the touch-sensitive display surface, and which sends the corresponding position to the computing device.

Abstract: A system and method for diagnosis of video device performance in the transfer of audio visual data over a video network physically interfaces with the network to receive audio visual data associated with the video device of interest and uses diagnostic tools to access the audio visual data for determination of performance statistics with analysis of the accessed audio visual data, including video device jitter, latency, throughput, and packet loss.

Abstract: A conferencing Gatekeeper configured to be adjusted so as to forward a conferencing media stream to be recorded to an appropriate streaming/archiving server, or alternatively to have streaming and archiving modules incorporated. Further, a method and computer program product for archiving or streaming media data between a plurality of endpoints through said gatekeeper.

Abstract: Network device discovery method and system performs network device discovery in a more efficient manner by retrieving information from a registration network device about other network devices and then using the retrieved information to select discovery tests to discover the configuration of the other network devices in a more efficient manner. For instance, video network device discovery process identifies a gatekeeper and retrieves the registration list of video devices from the gatekeeper. The video devices on the gatekeeper registration list are then queried with selected discovery tests to determine network configuration for the devices, such as device type, without having to use unnecessary discovery tests associated with the discovery of other types of network devices.

Abstract: A video teleconferencing directional microphone has two surfaces joined with an angle of 90° relative to each other, a first omni directional microphone element arranged adjacent to the intersection between the two surfaces. The ceiling microphone assembly also includes a second omni directional microphone element arranged at a predetermined distance (d) from both surfaces. A subtractor subtracts the output of the first microphone element from the output of the second microphone element, and the output of the subtractor is equalized by an equalizer (Heq) to generate an equalized output. The surfaces and subtractor generates a quarter toroid directivity pattern for the ceiling microphone assembly. The quarter toroid sensitivity pattern increases sensitivity in the direction of a sound source of interest, but reduces sensitivity to any sound waves generated by noise sources at other locations or reverberations.

Abstract: A video call monitor manager creates a video call monitor engine for initiated video calls between plural video devices with the video call monitor engine having a monitoring thread for each video device of the video call, the monitor threads periodically polling their associated video devices for quality of service and state information to automatically detect quality of service threshold rule violations and state changes for broadcast to interested locations, such as video network administrators monitoring the video call. Each video call monitor engine monitors a video call state with a nested state machine structure of device state machines, device monitor state machines and call segment state machines nested to define a call state machine as a video call is initiated, with the call state machine monitoring the video call throughout its life so that interesting call state changes and quality of service changes are detected and broadcast to monitoring clients.

Abstract: A video conferencing system with more than three endpoints and a multipoint control unit displays a merged image of the video conference participants at an endpoint monitor. The participant images are separated from their corresponding background and merged to make all participants appear the same size on the monitor. The system also identifies an active endpoint based on the level of sound received from the endpoints and highlights a corresponding participant as a speaker.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer readable medium for detecting a face in a video stream including receiving a sequence of input color images; and for each input image, calculating a greyscale image of the input color image, creating a one-bit motion image based on the current and a previous greyscale image, calculating a normalized color image of the input color image, calculating a motion color probability image, providing at least the grayscale image and the motion color probability image to a face detector, and executing face detection by determining a presence of a face based on first features in the grayscale image and second features in the motion color probability image.

Abstract: A process for calculating run-and-level representations of quantized transform coefficients includes packing each quantized transform coefficients in a value interval [Max, Min] by setting all quantized transform coefficients greater than Max equal to Max, and all quantized transform coefficients less than Min equal to Min; reordering the quantized transform coefficients resulting in an array C of reordered quantized transform coefficients; masking C by generating an array M containing ones in positions corresponding to positions of C having non-zero values, and zeros in positions corresponding to positions of C having zero values; and for each position containing a one in M, generating a run and a level representation by setting the level value equal to an occurring value in a corresponding position of C, and setting the run value equal to the number of proceeding positions relative to a current position in M since a previous occurrence of one in M.

Abstract: A unified solution to coding/decoding of different video formats such as 4:2:0, 4:2:2 and 4:4:4 is provided. A method of video coding includes transforming a first m×n macro block of residual chrominance pixel values of moving pictures by a first integer-transform function generating a corresponding second m×n macro block of integer-transform coefficients, further transforming DC values of the integer-transform coefficients by a second integer-transform function to generate a third block of integer-transformed DC coefficients. The method further includes generating the second m×n macro block of integer-transform coefficients by utilizing a k×k integer-transform function on each k×k sub-block of the first m×n macro block, wherein n and m are each a multiple of k, and generating the third block of coefficients by utilizing a second ixj integer-transform function on the DC values resulting in a (m/k)×(n/k) third block of integer-transformed DC coefficients.

Abstract: A video teleconferencing directional microphone includes three microphone elements arranged coincidentally on a vertical axis. The three microphone elements are placed on a supporting surface so that a first microphone element is on the surface, and the second and third microphone elements are elevated above the supporting surface. The directional microphone also includes three filters, a summing node, and an equalizer, which are used to shape the directivity pattern of the directional microphone into an elevated toroid sensitivity pattern. The elevated toroid sensitivity pattern increases sensitivity in the direction of a sound source of interest, but reduces sensitivity to any sound waves generated by noise sources at other locations.

Abstract: A video teleconferencing directional microphone includes two microphone elements arranged coincidentally on a vertical axis. The two microphone elements are placed on a supporting surface so that a first microphone element is on the surface, and the second microphone elements are elevated above the supporting surface. The directional microphone also includes filters, an adder assembly, and an equalizer, which are used to shape the directivity pattern of the directional microphone into a toroid sensitivity pattern. The toroid sensitivity pattern increases sensitivity in the direction of a sound source of interest, while simultaneously reduces sensitivity to any sound waves generated by noise sources from certain elevation angles.

Abstract: A method for calculating pixel values of interpolated pixel positions located between integer pixel positions in frames of a video picture by a predefined filter operation, the method including: storing the pixel values of the integer pixel position; determining to which of a number of predefined resolution formats the video picture is adapted; defining a fixed width (W) and fixed height value (H) for the frames corresponding to a resolution format determined by the determining; loading a first set of memory addresses for the memory of the video processing apparatus corresponding to a plurality of the pixel values of integer pixel positions; and executing a filter operation on the plurality of the pixel values of integer pixel positions and calculating a plurality of the pixel values of the interpolated pixel positions.

Abstract: Processing images in conference between a plurality of video conferencing terminal. The method includes providing properties of terminals, defining a number of groups based on the properties of the terminals, then determining an ordered list of the a number of groups, and determining a pane layout for displaying images from the terminals. The pane layout is determined based on the provided properties of the terminal the pane layout is displayed on and the properties of the other terminals in the conference. Then, mapping the ordered list of the number of groups to the respective determined pane layout, and providing at least one composite image stream to each of the terminals according to the selected pane layout and mapping of the a number of groups. Different types of telepresence endpoints, (e.g. different manufacturers, numbers of screens/cameras, etc.) can thus interoperate well in the same video conference.

Abstract: The present disclosure discloses a method for identifying individuals in a multimedia stream originating from a video conferencing terminal or a Multipoint Control Unit, including executing a face detection process on the multimedia stream; defining subsets including facial images of one or more individuals, where the subsets are ranked according to a probability that their respective one or more individuals will appear in a video stream; comparing a detected face to the subsets in consecutive order starting with a most probable subset, until a match is found; and storing an identity of the detected face as searchable metadata in a content database in response to the detected face matching a facial image in one of the subsets.

Abstract: A method of setting up communication sessions in a telepresence call including a multiple point-to-point connections between at least two telepresence systems, wherein the information required for setting up the communication sessions is embedded in a control protocol message flow establishing a first communication session between the two telepresence systems.