Video conferencing system which allows endpoints to perform continuous presence layout selection
View Patent ↗In various embodiments, a Multipoint Control Unit (MCU) or another video conferencing device (e.g., an endpoint) may generate a video frame that includes video images of two or more video conferencing endpoints. The video frame may then be sent to another video conferencing device that may receive the video frame and separate the two or more video images into separate video images. In some embodiments, the video frame may be separated into its separate images using, for example, metadata sent along with the video frame. The metadata may include video image identifiers and location information (e.g., coordinates in the video frame) of the video images. In some embodiments, the separated video images may be provided to a compositor that may composite the separated video images, for example, into a new layout.
1. A video conferencing endpoint, comprising:
a decoder;
a virtual decoder communicatively coupled to the decoder;
a compositor communicatively coupled to the virtual decoder;
wherein the video conferencing endpoint is configured to transmit a video image to an MCU;
wherein the video conferencing endpoint is configured to receive a composite video image, through the decoder, from the MCU comprised of at least two video images, each from a respective video conferencing endpoint;
wherein the video conferencing endpoint is configured to receive coordinate information from the MCU, wherein the coordinate information includes information on a location of a video image of the at least two video images within the composite video image;
wherein the video conferencing endpoint is configured to use the coordinate information to separate each of the video images from the composite video image using the virtual decoder;
wherein the at least one video conferencing endpoint is configured to generate a new composite video image; and
wherein the at least one video conferencing endpoint is configured to display the new composite video image.
2. The video conferencing endpoint of claim 1 , wherein the coordinate information is comprised in metadata transmitted with a video frame comprising the composite video image.
3. The video conferencing endpoint of claim 1 , wherein the new composite video image comprises at least one video image derived from local video of the video conferencing endpoint.
4. The video conferencing endpoint of claim 1 , wherein the composite video image from the MCU has a first layout and wherein the new composite video image has a second different layout.
5. A method, comprising:
transmitting a video image to an MCU from a video conferencing endpoint;
receiving a composite video image, through a decoder at the video conferencing endpoint, from the MCU comprised of at least two video images, each from a respective video conferencing endpoint;
receiving coordinate information from the MCU, wherein the coordinate information includes information on a location of a video image within the composite video image;
separating each of the video images from the composite video image using a virtual decoder; wherein the virtual decoder uses the coordinate information to separate the video images;
generating a new composite video image; and
displaying the new composite video image.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the coordinate information is comprised in metadata transmitted with a video frame comprising the composite video image.
7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the new composite video image comprises at least one video image derived from local video of the video conferencing endpoint.
8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the composite video image from the MCU has a first layout and wherein the new composite video image has a second different layout.
9. The video conferencing endpoint of claim 1 , wherein the virtual decoder is implemented in software of the video conferencing endpoint.
10. The video conferencing endpoint of claim 1 , wherein the video conferencing endpoint further comprises:
one or more processors; and
one or more memory mediums coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the memory medium stores program instructions executable by the one or more processor to implement the virtual decoder.
11. The video conferencing endpoint of claim 1 , wherein the virtual decoder is implemented within an integrated circuit.
12. The video conferencing endpoint of claim 1 , wherein the virtual decoder is implemented within a programmable gate array.
13. The method of claim 5 , wherein the virtual decoder is implemented in software of the video conferencing endpoint.
14. The method of claim 5 , wherein the virtual decoder is implemented within an integrated circuit.
15. The method of claim 5 , wherein the virtual decoder is implemented within a programmable gate array.