Individual adjustment of audio and video properties in network conferencing

• US 10,097,611 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2015
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Thapa, Mukund
• Primary Examiner(s): MCCORD, PAUL C
• Application Number:
  US14/727,585
• Publication Number:
  US 20150264102A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,226 Days
• Field of Search: 700 94, 348 1408
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1089 by adding media; by removing media
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1093 by adding participants; by removing participants
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4046 with distributed floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/562 where the conference facilities are distributed
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/564 whereby the feature is a sub-conference
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/568 audio processing specific to telephonic conferencing, e.g. spatial distribution, mixing of participants echo suppression in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/02; sound field processing per se H04S7/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/04 Synchronising for television systems using pulse code modulation H04N7/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/155 involving storage of or access to video conference sessions tracking arrangements for later retrieval of a computer conference content or participants activities H04L12/1831

Abstract

Individual adjustment of audio volume and video properties in a computer network conference environment is provided. For audio adjustment, a buffer collects incoming streams; a stream decoder decodes the buffered audio streams, a gain adjustment applies a gain increase or decrease to the individual audio stream, and a mixer combines each of the individual signals together. The gain adjustment module receives input from a user interface control associated with each participant, and adjusts the volume of that participant'"'"'s stream accordingly. If a requested increase in gain would cause an overflow of the signal, only a gain increase that will avoid such overflow is applied. Video properties such as brightness, contrast and saturation are also adjustable. Properties of the user'"'"'s transmitted audio and video streams are also adjustable.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, at a third device of a third participant, a first video stream from a first device of a first participant, the first video stream having an image attribute set at a first level;

determining a number of clipping events in an interval of the first video stream in which the image attribute of the first video stream overflows;

responsive to the number of clipping events exceeding a threshold;

determining a first multiplier that, responsive to application to the image attribute, prevents the image attribute from overflowing past an upper limit of values of the image attribute; and

automatically adjusting the first level by the first multiplier;

receiving, at the third device of the third participant, a second video stream from a second device of a second participant, the second video stream having the image attribute set at a second level by adjusting a second multiplier, the second level adjusted to not exceed the upper limit and adjusted independent of the first level; and

playing, by the third device of the third participant, the received first and second video streams, the first video stream being played having the image attribute at the adjusted first level, and the second audio stream being played having the image attribute at the second level.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from the third participant an instruction to adjust the second level independent of the first level; and

playing, by the device of the third participant, the second video stream having the image attribute at the adjusted second level.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first level is adjusted responsive to an instruction received via a user interface of a videoconference client application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the first level further comprises automatically adjusting the first level to equal the second level.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the image attribute is a brightness.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the image attribute is a contrast.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the image attribute is a saturation.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the image attribute is a sharpness.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the image attribute is a hue.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the image attribute is a zoom.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the image attribute is a display size.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, by the device of the third participant, a third video stream having the image attribute at a third level;

and receiving from the third participant an instruction to adjust the third level independent of the first level and the second level.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to receiving an indication that one of the at least three participants is a key participant, automatically adjusting a level of the image attribute of a video stream received from a device of the key participant.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the automatic adjustment is an increase in a level of brightness.

15. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a first video stream from a first device of a first participant, the first video stream having an image attribute set at a first level;

determining a number of clipping events in an interval of the first video stream in which the image attribute of the first video stream overflows;

responsive to the number of clipping events exceeding a threshold level;

determining a first multiplier that, responsive to application to the image attribute, prevents the image attribute from overflowing past an upper limit of values of the image attribute; and

automatically decreasing the first level by the first multiplier;

receiving a second video stream from a second device of a second participant, the second video stream having the image attribute set at a second level by adjusting a second multiplier, the second level adjusted to not exceed the upper limit and adjusted independent of the first level;

receiving an instruction to adjust the first level;

adjusting the first level by adjusting the first multiplier to produce an adjusted first video stream; and

outputting the adjusted first video stream and the received second video stream.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the instruction is to decrease the first level.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the instruction is to increase the first level.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the image attribute is at least one of brightness, contrast, saturation, sharpness, hue, zoom, or display size.

18. A system comprising:

a video stream decoder to receive a first video stream from a first device of a first participant and a second video stream from a second device of a second participant, the first video stream having an image attribute set at a first level and the second video stream having the image attribute set at a second level, the second level adjusted by adjusting a second multiplier, the second level being adjusted not to exceed an upper limit of values of the image attribute and adjusted independent of the first level; and

an image adjustment module, coupled to the video stream decoder, to;

determine a number of clipping events in an interval of the first video stream in which the image attribute of the first video stream overflows;

responsive to the number of clipping events exceeding a threshold;

determine a first multiplier that, responsive to application to the image attribute, prevents the image attribute from overflowing past an upper limit of values of the image attribute; and

automatically adjust the first level by the first multiplier;

receive an instruction to adjust the first level; and

adjust the first level by adjusting the first multiplier to produce an adjusted first video stream.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the first level is adjusted responsive to an instruction received via a user interface of a videoconference client application.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein adjusting the first level further comprises automatically adjusting the first level to equal the second level.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the image attribute is at least one of brightness, contrast, saturation, sharpness, hue, zoom, or display size.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein the instruction is to at least one of decrease the first level or increase the first level.