Abstract: Disclosed is a multipoint television conference system, comprising terminals, and a multipoint control unit for controlling the terminals. Each of the terminals is provided for each attendee to the multipoint television conference. The multipoint control unit comprises plural detection means. Each of the plural detection means detects whether or not each attendee is speaking on the basis of an audio signal and video signal from each of the terminals in order to output a speaker detection signal representing a result of the detection. A determination means determines who are main speakers among the attendees on the basis of the speaker detection signals in order to generate a determination signal representing the main speaker. A combining means combines the video signals on the basis of the speaker determination signal in order to output the combined video signal to the terminals.

Abstract: A video signal from one of a plurality of conference terminals, whose speech time is the longest, is simultaneously displayed on the plurality of respective conference terminals as a single picture when the longest speech time exceeds the threshold value and video signals from the plurality of conference terminals are simultaneously displayed on the plurality of respective conference terminals as a synthesized picture when the longest speech time is shorter than the threshold value.

Abstract: A meeting terminal opens a meeting by transmitting meeting setting information through a channel to a meeting state control section located within a control section of a multiple-point television meeting control device. The meeting setting information includes a mode, a name of a meeting and a password. The meeting state control section sets a meeting to a channel interface section and sets a password to a meeting terminal authentication section. A meeting terminal intending to attend the meeting connects a channel to the multiple-point television meeting control device and then transmits a password from a password posting section. The meeting terminal authentication section checks the received password, and makes a meeting terminal connection request to a channel interface section if the received password coincides with the password set at the time of opening the meeting.