Polycom, Inc.

Polycom Israel Ltd.

Other

Moshe Elbaz

Ilan Yona

Noam Eshkoli

Aviv Eisenberg

Meir Feder

Eran Knaz

Sergey Potekhin

Michael Horowitz

Stephen C Botzko

Eyal Leviav

Moshe Carmi

Aviv Eiesenberg

Eisenberg Aviv

Disclosed herein is a system and method for reconstruction video information lost as a result of transmission errors. The system and method have four aspects, including: (1) changing the bit and/or packet rate; (2) inserting redundant information into the video bitstream; (3) providing automatic refresh of certain regions of the video on a periodic basis; and (4) interleaving coded macroblocks into diversity groups for transmission to spatially spread the effect of lost packets. The image reconstruction may then take advantage of these three aspects to provide an enhanced result in the presence of transmission losses.

Video error concealment method

The present invention is a system and a method for providing a control unit for a multipoint multimedia/audio conference that enables one or more participants to take part in more than one conference simultaneously. The control unit can operate in audio and/or video sections of an MCU and/or Management and Control System (MCS). The MCS, in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, controls the participation of at least one participant in more than one conference simultaneously by using a Cross-Conference Database (CCDB). The MCU performs connection changes affecting which participants are associated with one or more conferences based on the information that is stored in the CCDB.

Control unit for multipoint multimedia/audio system

The present invention is a method and system for reducing delay in video communication, including, for example, video transcoding and continuous presence in a multipoint multimedia conference. The video communication control unit reduces such delay by processing a video stream in a small number of macroblocks referred to as 'chunks,' without waiting to get a full frame of video data. Instead, the incoming video stream is converted into decoded chunks. These decoded chunks are transferred to an output module without waiting to decode an entire frame. An encoder in the output module encodes the decoded chunks (also referred to as encoder chunks), and transfers them to an end user without waiting for the entire frame to be processed. Thus, reducing the delay in waiting for the entire frame of video data provides improved real-time video communication.

Delay reduction for transmission and processing of video data

A system and method for improving quality of video communication includes a packets generator logical unit (PGU) coupled to a video source for receiving a compressed video stream and generating primary and secondary data chunks for transmittal to one or more destination nodes via a network. Each primary data chunk is associated with a secondary data chunk, and each secondary data chunk includes video data that covers a same portion of a video frame as video data included in each associated primary data chunk. The PGU encapsulates the primary and secondary data chunks in associated primary-secondary packet pairs composed of MB data fields, picture header fields, GOB and slice start header fields, and MB header fields, among others. The destination nodes process the secondary packets received via the network if the primary packets are damaged or lost in transmission.

System and method for improving the quality of video communication over a packet-based network

In an embodiment, a videoconference system is provided in which a conference can be controlled by an end user (e.g., a participant of the conference) without the assistance of an operator. In another embodiment, the end user is presented with a graphical feature on an image associated with an ongoing conference that links to a menu, which in turn links to routines for selecting various options that change the setup of the conference. In yet another embodiment, the parameters of the conference can be changed while the conference is ongoing. In a further embodiment, the conference control unit includes a menu generator. Any combination of the above embodiments can be used together in one embodiment.

Method and system for controlling multimedia video communication

A system for controlling a conference that takes input streams from a variety of sources, at least some of the streams having a relatively low-resolution, and composes the input streams into a single output stream of a relatively high-resolution. In doing the conversion the system takes intra Macro Blocks (MBs) of the input stream and produces inter output frames. As part of the conversion process, the system converts the Groups Of Blocks (GOBs) that have GOB headers into slices.

Method and an apparatus for mixing compressed video

A multipoint controller unit in which the audio signal processing is distributed among several audio ports. The control of the audio signal processing may be centrally or distributively managed by one or more audio controllers. The audio signal processing may include selecting audio streams from a common interface and/or mixing the signals from the common interface. Each audio port may enhance the audio signal and generate control information from the audio signal. The audio ports are synchronized by a common information channel while the audio controllers are synchronized by a common control channel interface. Port fragmentation is reduced since the audio signal processing that relates to an endpoint within a conference is handled by a single audio port.

Control unit for multipoint multimedia/audio conference

An improved method and a system of utilizing the decoding/encoding video resources of a Video Processing Device (VPD) by offering a distributed architecture. A conventional VPD comprises a plurality of video ports, each video port is dedicated to a user and comprises at least one decoder and one encoder. The distributed VPD comprises a plurality of input ports and a plurality of output ports. Each input port includes an input module. The input module is operative to receive a compressed video input stream, manipulate the compressed video stream into a primary stream and optionally generate a secondary data stream associated with the primary data stream. A variety of levels of service for a session can be offered. A client may select the number of ports that will be used by the session. For example, a single port may multicast its compressed output video stream to all the destinations within a session, or to all destinations within a plurality of ports. The multicasting may be such that there is anywhere from one port for each group of destinations using the same compressed video stream to one port for each user.

Method and system for multimedia video processing

A multipoint control unit (MCU) or other digital video-processing apparatus operates to manipulate compressed digital video from several compressed digital video sources. The apparatus has a plurality of video input modules and a plurality of video output module. Each of the video input modules receives a compressed video signal from one of the sources and generally decodes the data into a primary data stream and a secondary data stream. The video output module receives the primary and secondary data streams, from at least one of the input module for generally encoding to a compressed output stream for transmission.

Method and system for multimedia communication control

A multipoint control unit (MCU) for facilitating communication between a plurality of endpoints. Each endpoint sends a compressed video signal and receives a compressed video signal. The MCU has a plurality of video input modules and a video output module. Each of the video input modules receives a video signal from one of the endpoints and generally decodes the data into a primary data stream and a secondary data stream. The video output module includes a rate control unit and a generalized encoder that receive the primary and secondary data streams for generally encoding to a compressed output stream for transmission to an endpoint.

Growing community of inventors

Kiriat Bialik, Israel

Moshe Elbaz