Video Conference Virtual Endpoints
AssigneeCisco Technology, Inc.
InventorsHakon Dahle, Giles Russell Chamberlin, Hani Mustafa Elsayed Abdelkader Hashim
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and a device providing one virtual endpoint dedicated to serve one particular real endpoint, and the virtual endpoint is typically installed on a server in the same local network as the associated real endpoint, where an MCU or a fraction of a distributed MCCJ also is installed. In the upstream direction, the virtual endpoint includes at least an upstream decoder, a scaling unit and an upstream encoder. In the downstream direction, the virtual endpoint includes at least a number of decoders, a composing unit and a downstream encoder.
Claims24
A multipoint control unit adapted to be associated with a video conference endpoint that is adapted to participate in a multi-party video conference, the video conference endpoint being adapted to encode and transmit an upstream encoded media stream including at least video data in an upstream direction and to receive and decode a combined media stream in a downstream direction, the multipoint control unit comprising:
- a host server;
- a virtual endpoint installed on said host server and comprising:
- an upstream decoder adapted to decode the upstream encoded media stream received from the video conference endpoint into an upstream decoded media stream;
- a scaling device adapted to scale the upstream decoded media stream into a scaled upstream media stream;
- a media composer adapted to compose, from a set of downstream decoded media streams of a first resolution and a second resolution, a combined downstream media stream;
- and
- at least one downstream encoder adapted to encode the combined downstream media stream;
- at least one upstream encoder installed on said host server and adapted to encode the scaled upstream media stream into an encoded scaled upstream media stream for transmission over a backplane to one or more other host servers involved in the multi-party video conference;
- and
- one or more downstream decoders installed on said host server and adapted to produce said set of downstream decoded media streams by decoding a downstream encoded media stream of said first resolution and decoding at least one of a number of downstream encoded media streams of said second resolution, said downstream encoded media streams received from said backplane.
A non-transitory computer readable storage media encoded with executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a host server, cause the one or more processors to function as a multipoint control unit associated with at least one video conference endpoint that is adapted to participate in a multi-party video conference, the video conference endpoint being adapted to encode and transmit an upstream encoded media stream including at least video data in an upstream direction and to receive and decode a combined media stream in a downstream direction, the executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, are operable to cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
- decoding in a virtual endpoint the upstream encoded media stream received from the video conference endpoint into an upstream decoded media stream;
- scaling in said virtual endpoint the upstream decoded media stream into a scaled upstream media stream;
- encoding the scaled upstream media stream into an encoded scaled upstream media stream for transmission over a backplane to one or more other host servers involved in the multi-party video conference;
- producing a set of downstream decoded media streams by decoding from a downstream encoded media stream of said first resolution and at least one of a number of downstream encoded media streams of said second resolution, said downstream encoded media streams received from said backplane;
- composing in said virtual endpoint, from said set of downstream decoded media streams of a first resolution and a second resolution, a combined downstream media stream;
- and
- encoding in said virtual endpoint the combined downstream media stream.
A method in a multipoint control unit of a host server associated with a video conference endpoint participating in a multi-party video conference, the video conference endpoint encoding and transmitting an upstream encoded media stream including at least video data in an upstream direction and receiving and decoding a combined media stream in a downstream direction, the method comprising:
- decoding in a virtual endpoint the upstream encoded media stream received from the video conference endpoint into an upstream decoded media stream;
- scaling in said virtual endpoint the upstream decoded media stream into a scaled upstream media stream;
- encoding the scaled upstream media stream into an encoded scaled upstream media stream for transmission over a backplane to one or more other host servers involved in the multi-party video conference;
- producing a set of downstream decoded media streams by decoding from a downstream encoded media stream of said first resolution and at least one of a number of downstream encoded media streams of said second resolution, said downstream encoded media streams received from said backplane;
- composing in said virtual endpoint, from said set of downstream decoded media streams of a first resolution and a second resolution, a combined downstream media stream;
- and
- encoding in said virtual endpoint the combined downstream media stream.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.