Background replacement based on attribute of remote user or endpoint

Abstract

A telecommunication device includes an image capture system that captures an image of a local participant in a telecommunication session, the image comprising foreground and background images defined by plural pixels, each of the pixels having a pixel magnitude related to a sample of the image at a spatial location of the respective pixel and a background modifier that segments plural pixels of the captured image into foreground and background sets of pixels, replaces the background set of pixels with a template set of pixels to form a new background set of pixels, selected pixels in the template set of pixels having a different magnitude than a magnitude of the corresponding pixel in the background set of pixels replaced by the selected pixel, and combines the new background set of pixels with the foreground set of pixels to form modified image information for transmission to a remote endpoint. A background selector selects the template set of pixels from among multiple template sets of pixels based on an attribute of a remote endpoint or remote participant associated with the remote endpoint.