Schemes for emphasizing talkers in a 2D or 3D conference scene

An audio conferencing system comprising:

• a plurality of talker terminals configured to generate a plurality of upstream audio signals associated with a plurality of conference participants, respectively;
• a conference controller configured to:
• receive the plurality of upstream audio signals;
• assign each audio signal of the plurality of upstream audio signals to a different one of X different spatial talker locations within a 2D or 3D conference scene;
• provide downstream audio signals and metadata to terminals corresponding to the conference participants, the metadata indicating where a terminal is to render audio signals for each of the X different spatial talker locations;
• determine a dominant one of the plurality of upstream audio signals;
• assign the dominant upstream audio signal to a first of the X talker locations;
• and
• emphasize a dominant one of the plurality of upstream audio signals by changing the metadata indicating where a terminal is to render audio signals for a relative position of the talker location for the dominant upstream audio signal relative to other talker locations by re-assigning the dominant upstream audio signal to a center location within the 2D or 3D conference scene;
• wherein the center location corresponds to the talker location closest to a midline in front of a head of the listener;
• and
• a listener terminal configured to render the dominant upstream audio signal to a listener according to the metadata.

A method for placing a plurality of upstream audio signals associated with a plurality of conference participants within a 2D or 3D conference scene to be rendered to a listener, wherein the method comprises:

• setting up an X-point conference scene with X different spatial talker locations within the conference scene, X being an integer greater than one;
• assigning each audio signal of the plurality of upstream audio signals to a different one of the X different spatial talker locations;
• providing downstream audio signals and metadata to terminals corresponding to the conference participants, the metadata indicating where a terminal is to render audio signals for each of the X different spatial talker locations;
• determining a degree of activity of the plurality of upstream audio signals, at a time instant;
• determining a dominant one of the plurality of upstream audio signals at the time instant based on the degrees of activity of the plurality of upstream audio signals at the time instant;
• assigning the dominant upstream audio signal to a first of the X talker locations;
• and
• emphasizing the dominant upstream audio signal at the time instant by changing the metadata indicating where a terminal is to render audio signals for a relative position of the talker location for the dominant upstream audio signal relative to other talker locations such that the updated talker location at which the dominant upstream audio signal will be rendered is the updated talker location closest to a midline in front of a head of the listener.