Virtual decoders

• US 20080316295A1
• Filed: 06/19/2008
• Published: 12/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Lifesize, Inc. (Enghouse Systems Limited)
• Original Assignee: Lifesize, Inc. (Enghouse Systems Limited)
• Inventors: King, Keith C., Mock, Wayne E.
• Application Number:
  US12/142,263
• Publication Number:
  US 20080316295A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/14.09
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/152 Multipoint control units therefor

Abstract

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.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method, comprising:

receiving a video frame comprising two or more video images, wherein at least two of the two or more video images are from different video conferencing endpoints; and

separating the two or more video images into separate video images.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the video frame is received from a multipoint control unit (MCU).

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein separating the video images is performed through the use of coordinate information.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 3, wherein the coordinate information is received in metadata with the video frame.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 3, wherein separating the video images is performed by separating the video images at their respective boundaries, wherein the boundaries are identified through the coordinate information received with the video frame.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 3, wherein the coordinate information indicates a top boundary, a left boundary, a right boundary, and a bottom boundary of at least one video image of the two or more video images.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 5, wherein indicating a top boundary comprises indicating a pixel location of a starting pixel at a top of the at least one video image of the two or more video images.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein separating the two or more video images comprises cropping the two or more video images down to one video image.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein separating the two or more video images comprises storing the two or more video images in separate locations of a memory.

10. A method, comprising:

receiving video images from a plurality of video conferencing endpoints communicatively coupled to an MCU;

generating a composite video image comprised of at least two video images from respective video conferencing endpoints of the plurality of video conferencing endpoints;

transmitting the composite video image to at least one video conferencing endpoint; and

transmitting coordinate information to the at least one video conferencing endpoint, 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 at least one video conferencing endpoint is operable to separate at least one video image from the composite video image using the coordinate information.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the coordinate information is comprised in metadata transmitted with a video frame comprising the composite video image.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving an image layout preference from the at least one video conferencing endpoint.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the composite video image is generated according to the received image layout preference.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one video conferencing endpoint is operable to separate the video images by separating the video images at their respective boundaries, wherein the boundaries are identified through the coordinate information received with the composite video image.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the coordinate information indicates a top boundary, a left boundary, a right boundary, and a bottom boundary of at least one video image of the two or more video images.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein indicating a top boundary comprises indicating a pixel location of a starting pixel at a top of the at least one video image of the two or more video images.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one video conferencing endpoint is operable to separate the video images by cropping the two or more video images down to one video image.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one video conferencing endpoint is operable to separate the video images by storing the two or more video images in separate locations of a memory.

19. A system, comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor and configured to store program instructions executable by the processor to;

receive a video frame comprising two or more video images, wherein at least two of the two or more video images are from different video conferencing endpoints; and

separate the two or more video images into separate video images.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein separating the two or more video images is performed by separating the video images at their respective boundaries, wherein the boundaries are identified through coordinate information received with the video frame.