Abstract: Techniques are provided for establishing a videoconference session between participants at different endpoints, where each endpoint includes at least one computing device and one or more displays. A plurality of video streams is received at an endpoint, and each video stream is classified as at least one of a people view and a data view. The classified views are analyzed to determine one or more regions of interest for each of the classified views, where at least one region of interest has a size smaller than a size of the classified view. Synthesized views of at least some of the video streams are generated, wherein the synthesized views include at least one view including a region of interest, and views including the synthesized views are rendered at one or more displays of an endpoint device.

Abstract: A method is provided in one example and includes receiving audio data at a microphone array that includes a plurality of microphones. The microphone array is provisioned at a first endpoint, which includes a camera element configured to capture video data associated with a video session involving the first endpoint and a second endpoint. The method also includes formatting the audio data into a time division multiplex (TDM) stream, and communicating the stream to a port for a subsequent communication over a network and to the second endpoint.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided in one example and includes a camera configured to receive image data associated with an end user involved in a video session. The apparatus also includes a display and an optics element configured to interface with the camera. The optics element reflects the image data associated with the end user positioned in front of the display. A retracting mechanism is also provided and is configured to retract the optics element in a direction such that the camera moves to an inactive state and the optics element is removed from a view of the display from the perspective of the end user. An effective optical distance from the camera to the end user is increased by manipulating a position of the optics element. In more detailed embodiments, the camera can be configured above the display such that its lens points downward toward the optics element.

Abstract: A method is provided in one example and includes receiving image data for a field of view associated with a display. The image data is used to generate a plurality of red green blue (RGB) frames. The method also includes emitting infrared energy onto the field of view in order to generate a plurality of infrared frames, the plurality of RGB frames and the plurality of infrared frames are generated by a single camera. The plurality of RGB frames can be combined with the plurality of infrared frames in order to generate a video data stream. In a more particular embodiment, the emitting of the infrared energy is synchronized with the camera such that the infrared energy is emitted onto the field of view at one half of an existing frame rate of the camera.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for establishing a videoconference session between participants at different endpoints, where each endpoint includes at least one computing device and one or more displays. A plurality of video streams is received at an endpoint, and each video stream is classified as at least one of a people view and a data view. The classified views are analyzed to determine one or more regions of interest for each of the classified views, where at least one region of interest has a size smaller than a size of the classified view. Synthesized views of at least some of the video streams are generated, wherein the synthesized views include at least one view including a region of interest, and views including the synthesized views are rendered at one or more displays of an endpoint device.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for establishing a videoconference session between participants at different endpoints, where each endpoint includes at least one computing device and one or more displays. A plurality of video streams is received at an endpoint, and each video stream is classified as at least one of a people view and a data view. The classified views are analyzed to determine one or more regions of interest for each of the classified views, where at least one region of interest has a size smaller than a size of the classified view. Synthesized views of at least some of the video streams are generated, wherein the synthesized views include at least one view including a region of interest, and views including the synthesized views are rendered at one or more displays of an endpoint device.

Abstract: Particular embodiments generally relate to video compression. In one embodiment, a store of reference frames is provided in memory. The reference frames may be classified based on a plurality of classifiers. The classifiers may correspond to features that are found in the reference frame. A frame to encode is then received. The frame is analyzed to determine features found in the frame. As macroblocks in the frame are encoded, a macroblock is analyzed to determine which feature may be included in the macroblock. The feature is used to determine a classifier, which is used to determine a subset of the reference frames. The subset is then searched to determine a reference frame for the macroblock.

Abstract: Video frames are captured at one or more cameras during a video conference session, where each video frame includes a digital image with a plurality of pixels. Depth values associated with each pixel are determined in at least one video frame, where each depth value represents a distance of a portion of the digital image represented by at least one corresponding pixel from the one or more cameras that capture the at least one video frame. Luminance values of pixels are adjusted within captured video frames based upon the depth values determined for the pixels so as to achieve relighting of the video frames as the video frames are displayed during the video conference session.

Abstract: A method that includes capturing depth information associated with a first field of view of a depth camera. The depth information is represented by a first plurality of depth pixels. The method also includes capturing color information associated with a second field of view of a video camera that substantially overlaps with the first field of view of the depth camera. The color information is represented by a second plurality of color pixels. The method further includes enhancing color information represented by at least one color pixel of the second plurality of color pixels to generate an enhanced image. The enhanced image adjusts an exposure characteristic of the color information captured by the video camera. The at least one color pixel is enhanced based on depth information represented by at least one corresponding depth pixel of the first plurality of depth pixels.

Abstract: A method is provided in one example and includes receiving a video input from a camera element; using change detection statistics to identify background image data; using the background image data as a temporal reference to determine foreground image data of a particular video frame within the video input; using a selected foreground image for a background registration of a subsequent video frame; and providing at least a portion of the subsequent video frame to a next destination.

Abstract: Video frames are captured at one or more cameras during a video conference session, where each video frame includes a digital image with a plurality of pixels. Depth values associated with each pixel are determined in at least one video frame, where each depth value represents a distance of a portion of the digital image represented by at least one corresponding pixel from the one or more cameras that capture the at least one video frame. Luminance values of pixels are adjusted within captured video frames based upon the depth values determined for the pixels so as to achieve relighting of the video frames as the video frames are displayed during the video conference session.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for establishing a videoconference session between participants at different endpoints, where each endpoint includes at least one computing device and one or more displays. A plurality of video streams is received at an endpoint, and each video stream is classified as at least one of a people view and a data view. The classified views are analyzed to determine one or more regions of interest for each of the classified views, where at least one region of interest has a size smaller than a size of the classified view. Synthesized views of at least some of the video streams are generated, wherein the synthesized views include at least one view including a region of interest, and views including the synthesized views are rendered at one or more displays of an endpoint device.

Abstract: A video coder includes a forward coder and a reconstruction module determining a motion compensated predicted picture from one or more previously decoded pictures in a multi-picture store. The reconstruction module includes a reference picture predictor that uses only previously decoded pictures to determine one or more predicted reference pictures. The predicted reference picture(s) are used for motion compensated prediction. The reference picture predictor may include optical flow analysis that uses a current decoded picture and that may use one or more previously decoded pictures together with affine motion analysis and image warping to determine at least a portion of at least one of the reference pictures.

Abstract: A system and method for reducing blurred video caused by intra-coded IDR-frames sent in response to when a destination endpoint in a multipoint videoconference switches to a new video source. An embodiment according to the invention comprises using inter-coded temporal predictive referencing a long term reference frame (LTRF) instead of IDR-frames in a multipoint videoconference system.

Abstract: A method is provided in one example and includes receiving an input video, and identifying values of pixels from noise associated with a current video image within the video input. The method also includes creating a skip-reference video image associated with the identified pixel values, and comparing a portion of the current video image to the skip-reference video image. The method also includes determining a macroblock associated with the current video image to be skipped before an encoding operation occurs.

Abstract: Methods and systems that compensate for display latency when separate speakers are used during video conferencing. A method includes determining whether speakers, which are not controlled by a display, are to be used in connection with a video conferencing session. The method further includes sending, to the display, data that causes the display to generate a predetermined pattern, capturing imagery of the effects of the predetermined pattern shown on the display, calculating a latency of the display based on a difference in a time the data was sent and the imagery of the effects is received, and storing a value of the latency of the display in a device that enables the video conferencing. When the speakers, which are not controlled by the display are selected, are selected, the audio portion of the video conferencing session is redirected to those speakers, but delayed for an amount of time substantially equivalent to the value of the latency of the display.

Abstract: An apparatus, software encoded in tangible media, and a method at an encoder. The method includes sending compressed video data including a reference frame message to create a long term reference frame to a plurality of decoders at one or more destination points, receiving feedback from the decoders indicative of whether or not the decoders successfully received the reference frame message, and in the case that the received feedback is such that at least one of the decoders did not successfully receive the reference frame message or does not have the indicated recent frame, repeating sending a reference frame message to create the long term reference frame. Using the method can replaces I-frame error recovery with long term reference frames, even in the case where the reference frame management messages are lost to at least one decoder.

Abstract: An apparatus, a method, and a computer-readable medium having instructions encoded thereon that when executed cause a method to be carried out. The method includes dividing at least a portion of a picture of a video stream into parts of blocks, and processing the parts in parallel by a plurality of interconnected processors. The processing of a respective part by its respective processor includes edge detection and color segmentation to determine block-level edge features including block-level color-segmented edge features. Each processor also performs coding functions on its respective part of the picture. The method also includes block-level processing using the block-level edge features to determine which blocks in the picture are likely to be that of a face, the block-level processing being at the granularity of at least a block.

Abstract: A system and method for alerting participants in a videoconference that one or more participants are improperly framed by the videoconference camera is provided. An embodiment comprises a temporary self-view picture-in-picture image appearing when the number of faces detected by the videoconference camera changes. A face detection algorithm is used to determine when the number of faces being detected by the videoconference camera has changed. The self-view picture-in-picture image displays, for a duration of time, a representation of the image being captured by the videoconference camera, allowing participants who are not properly framed by the videoconference camera to adjust their position to that their faces are captured by the videoconference camera.

Abstract: A video coder includes a forward coder and a reconstruction module determining a motion compensated predicted picture from one or more previously decoded pictures in a multi-picture store. The reconstruction module includes a reference picture predictor that uses only previously decoded pictures to determine one or more predicted reference pictures. The predicted reference picture(s) are used for motion compensated prediction. The reference picture predictor may include optical flow analysis that uses a current decoded picture and that may use one or more previously decoded pictures together with affine motion analysis and image warping to determine at least a portion of at least one of the reference pictures.