Apparatus and method for providing media content

• US 9,736,457 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2016
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hines, Tara, Basso, Andrea, Ivanov, Aleksey, Mikan, Jeffrey, Morris, Nadia
• Primary Examiner(s): Anwah, Olisa
• Application Number:
  US15/002,561
• Publication Number:
  US 20160142698A1
• Time in Patent Office: 572 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1401, 348 1408, 348 1409, 348 1411, 348 1412
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4015 where at least one of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. white board sharing, collaboration or spawning of a subconference
• 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 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/167 Synchronising or controlling image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/194 Transmission of image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may, for example, receive a request for a telepresence seat at an event, obtain media content comprising event images of the event that are captured by an event camera system, receive images that are captured by a camera system at a user location, and provide the media content and video content representative of the images to a processor for presentation at a display device utilizing a telepresence configuration that simulates the first and second users being present at the event, where the providing of the first and second video content establishes a communication session between the first and second users. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing, by a processing system including a processor, a telepresence session for a plurality of participants;

identifying, by the processing system, latency network elements based on a latency test performed with respect to a plurality of network elements of a communication network that each form a portion of a potential route for transmission of telepresence session signals to the respective participants, wherein the latency network elements and an additional network element form a latency area, wherein the additional network element is included in the latency area based on a topology of the communication network and is not identified as a latency network element; and

performing, by the processing system, a latency correction with respect to a group of participants in proximity to each other, wherein the group comprises fewer participants than the plurality of participants,

wherein performing the latency correction comprises providing a delay of a presentation of a telepresence configuration, configuring a route for the transmission of the telepresence session signals avoiding a portion of the latency area, or a combination thereof.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the group of participants have telepresence seats in proximity to each other.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the group of participants have proximity to each other in the communication network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of participants comprises a first group and a second group, a first latency correction is performed with respect to the first group, and a different second latency correction is performed with respect to the second group.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying further comprises analyzing latency parameters of network elements of the communication network obtained using packet latency telemetry.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the latency parameters are obtained periodically, and wherein the latency parameters are selected based on a known or predicted cause of latency.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the analyzing is performed during the telepresence session.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the latency correction is performed responsive to a latency time period exceeding a predetermined threshold.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein a combination of providing the delay of the presentation of the telepresence configuration and configuring a route for the transmission of the telepresence session signals is performed responsive to the latency time period exceeding the threshold.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the telepresence session comprises an audio portion and a video portion, and wherein performing the latency correction comprises providing a delay of a presentation of the video portion and synchronizing the audio portion with the video portion.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the telepresence session is provided using a social network application, wherein each of the participants is associated with the social network application.

12. A device comprising:

a processing system including a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations comprising;

providing a telepresence session for a plurality of participants;

identifying latency network elements based on a latency test performed with respect to a plurality of network elements of a communication network that each form a portion of a potential route for transmission of telepresence session signals to the respective participants, wherein the latency network elements and an additional network element form a latency area, wherein the additional network element is included in the latency area based on a topology of the communication network; and

performing a latency correction with respect to a group of participants in proximity to each other,

wherein the group comprises fewer participants than the plurality of participants,

wherein the group of participants have telepresence seats in proximity to each other, have proximity to each other in the communication network, or both, and

wherein performing the latency correction comprises providing a delay of a presentation of a telepresence configuration, configuring a route for the transmission of the telepresence session signals avoiding a portion of the latency area, or a combination thereof.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the plurality of participants comprises a first group and a second group, a first latency correction is performed with respect to the first group, and a different second latency correction is performed with respect to the second group.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the latency correction is performed responsive to a latency time period exceeding a predetermined threshold.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein a combination of providing the delay of the presentation of the telepresence configuration and configuring a route for the transmission of the telepresence session signals is performed responsive to the latency time period exceeding the threshold.

16. The device of claim 12, wherein the telepresence session is provided using a social network application, wherein each of the participants is associated with the social network application.

17. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations comprising:

providing a telepresence session for a plurality of participants;

identifying latency network elements based on a latency test performed with respect to a plurality of network elements of a communication network that each form a portion of a potential route for transmission of telepresence session signals to the respective participants, wherein the latency network elements and an additional network element form a latency area; and

performing a latency correction with respect to a group of participants in proximity to each other, wherein the group comprises fewer participants than the plurality of participants, and wherein the group of participants have telepresence seats in proximity to each other, have proximity to each other in the communication network, or both,

wherein performing the latency correction comprises providing a delay of a presentation of a telepresence configuration, configuring a route for the transmission of the telepresence session signals avoiding a portion of the latency area, or a combination thereof.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the additional network element is included in the latency area based on a topology of the communication network.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein a combination of providing the delay of the presentation of the telepresence configuration and configuring a route for the transmission of the telepresence session signals is performed responsive to a latency time period exceeding a predetermined threshold.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the plurality of participants comprises a first group and a second group, a first latency correction is performed with respect to the first group, and a different second latency correction is performed with respect to the second group.