Systems and methods for multimedia remoting over terminal server connections

• US 20060069797A1
• Filed: 01/31/2005
• Published: 03/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Chik, Joy, Abdo, Nadim Y., Sather, Dale A., Grigorovitch, Alexandre V., Barde, Sumedh N., Oliveira, Eduardo P., Sherwani, Adil A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,590,750 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast

Abstract

Techniques relating to managing multimedia transmissions in terminal services scenarios are described. In one instance, a method sends a user-interface component from a server to a remote client. The method further streams a media component for presentation on the remote client in combination with the user-interface component and wherein the media presentation is tracked but not displayed by the server.

Claims

1. A computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, perform acts, comprising:

during a terminal services session, sending a user-interface component of a server desktop;

responsive to receiving, from a remote client, a media presentation request for a media application on the user-interface component, streaming media to the remote client; and

,

tracking presentation of the media on a remote desktop at the remote client without presenting the media on the server desktop.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the presentation occurs in a media presentation window and wherein said tracking comprises tracking changes to the media presentation window.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the sending is achieved over a first network channel established by the terminal services session and the streaming is achieved over a second different channel.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the second different channel is established by the terminal services session.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the media application is instantiated as a media presentation window on the user-interface component and wherein said tracking comprises assigning a unique identifier to the media presentation window and wherein changes to the media presentation window are relayed to the client to allow the media presentation window to be oriented relative to the user-interface component.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising prior to said streaming:

determining a format of the media;

evaluating a capacity of the client to decode and render the media in the format.

7. A method as recited in claim 6, in an event that the client lacks a capacity to decode and render the media in the existing format, further comprising decoding the media and re-encoding the media in a second different format which the client is configured to handle.

8. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising, responsive to the presentation command:

establishing a virtual channel connection with the client,

negotiating formats which are supported by both the source and the client; and

,

setting-up a distributed topology with the client.

9. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein setting-up a distributed topology comprises inserting a network transmitter at the source and a network receiver at the client.

10. A method, comprising:

sending a user-interface component from a server to a remote client; and

,

streaming a media component for presentation on the remote client in combination with the user-interface component and wherein the media presentation is tracked but not displayed by the server.

11. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein the user-interface component comprises a media application window.

12. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein the media component is configured to be presented in a media presentation target window within the media application window.

13. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the media presentation is tracked by tracking the media presentation target window relative to the media application window.

14. A method as recited in claim 13, wherein the tracking comprises relaying the relative position of the media presentation target window relative to the media application window to the remote client.

15. A method as recited in claim 13, wherein the tracking comprises inserting a placeholder on the server desktop which represents the media presentation target window and tracking any changes affecting the placeholder.

16. A method as recited in claim 10 further comprising determining what media formats are supported by the remote client.

17. A method as recited in claim 10 further comprising establishing a distributed topology with the remote client.

18. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein the sending and the streaming occur in a terminal services session.

19. A computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, perform acts, comprising:

during a terminal services session, receiving a user-interface component;

accepting a media stream corresponding to a media presentation request;

generating a remote desktop experience by combining a media presentation with the user-interface component; and

,

acquiring geometry updates regarding the media presentation relative to the remote desktop.

20. A computer-readable media as recited in claim 19, wherein the acquiring is achieved over a network channel which is not utilized for said receiving or said accepting.