Systems and methods for connecting video conferencing to a distributed network

Abstract

Conventional video conference porting sytems access the analog video conference output streams, reconverting these streams back into digital data streams for transmission over the Internet. This significantly degrades these streams. Other conventional video conference porting sytems access the digital data streams, but can only output these streams as a multicast. A pseudo-end point can be connected to a multi-point control unit managing a video conference just as the end point of a participant to the video conference is connected. The pseudo-end point device receives the digital data just as the participating end points receive the digital data. The pseudo-end point is connected to a video conference standard module, which is connectable to manyt pseudo-end points, each acting as a pseudo-participant in a different video conference. The video conference standard module transmits the received digital data as a multicast to one or more unicast servers, and zero, one or more multicast clients.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method for distributing at least one of a digital audio data stream and a digital video data stream of a video conference over a distributed network, comprising: 
 connecting a pseudo-participant end point unit to the video conference;    supplying at least one of the digital audio data stream and the digital video data stream from the participant-participant end point unit to a streaming module;    supplying at least one of the digital audio data stream and the digital video data stream from the streaming module to at least one streaming server representing at least one type of streaming server, each different type of streaming server using a different streaming protocol.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising converting, at each of the at least one streaming server, the received at least one of the digital audio data stream and the digital video data stream into at least one of a corresponding digital audio stream and a corresponding video stream that is in the streaming protocol of that streaming server.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising supplying, from each of the at least one streaming server, at least one of the corresponding digital audio stream and the corresponding video stream to at least one client that uses the streaming protocol of that streaming server.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein supplying at least one of the digital audio data stream and the digital video data stream from the streaming module to at least one streaming server comprises: 
 creating at least one different form of at least one of the digital audio data stream and the digital video data stream; and    supplying at least the created at least one different form to at least one of the at least one streaming server.    
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein creating at least one different form of at least one of the digital audio data stream and the digital video data stream comprises altering, for each different form of at least one of the digital audio data stream and the digital video data stream, at least one of at least a bit rate, a compression and an encoding of the at least one of the digital audio data stream and the digital video data stream.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein supplying at least the created at least one different form to at least one of the at least one streaming server comprises supplying, for each streaming server, at least one of 1) the digital audio data stream, 2) the digital audio data stream; 3) an altered form of the digital audio data stream; and 4) an altered form of the digital audio data stream.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising storing at least a portion of the video conference.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising playing back at least a part of the at least a portion of the video conference into the video conference.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein supplying at least one of the digital audio data stream and the digital video data stream from the streaming module to at least one streaming server comprises playing back at least a part of the at least a portion of the video conference as at least a portion of at least one of the audio data stream and the video data stream.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein data outside of the video conference is stored relative to the streaming module, the method further comprising playing back at least a portion of the outside data as part of the video conference.  
     
     
         11 . A system usable to distribute at least one of a digital audio data stream and a digital video data stream of a video conference over a distributed network, comprising: 
 a pseudo-participant end point unit connectable into the video conference to be able to receive and output at least one of the digital audio data stream and the digital video data stream; and    a streaming module that receives at least one of the digital audio data stream and the digital video data stream from the pseudo-participant end point unit, the streaming module able to supply at least one of the digital audio data stream and the digital video data stream to at least one streaming server representing at least one type of streaming server, each different type of streaming server using a different streaming protocol.    
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein each of the at least one streaming server converts the received at least one of the digital audio data stream and the digital video data stream into at least one of a corresponding digital audio stream and a corresponding video stream into the streaming protocol of that streaming server.  
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein each of the at least one streaming server outputs at least one of the corresponding digital audio stream and the corresponding video stream to at least one client that uses the streaming protocol of that streaming server.  
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 11 , further comprising at least one storage device that stores at least a portion of the video conference.  
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the streaming module injects at least a part of the at least a portion of the video conference stored in the at least one storage device into the video conference.  
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the streaming module supplies at least a part of the at least a portion of the video conference stored in the at least one storage device as at least a portion of at least one of the audio data stream and the video data stream.  
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the at least one storage device stores data originating from outside of the video conference.  
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the streaming module injects into the video conference at least a portion of the outside data stored in the at least one storage device as part of the video conference.  
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the streaming module supplies at least one of the digital audio data stream and the digital video data stream to a transcoder.  
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the transcoder creates at least one different form of at least one of the digital audio data stream and the digital video data stream.  
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the transcoder supplies at least one of the created at least one different form to at least one of the at least one streaming server.  
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the transcoder supplies, for each streaming server, at least one of 1) the digital audio data stream, 2) the digital audio data stream; 3) an altered form of the digital audio data stream; and 4) an altered form of the digital audio data stream.  
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the transcoder alters, for each different form of at least one of the digital audio data stream and the digital video data stream, at least one of at least a bit rate, a compression and an encoding of the at least one of the digital audio data stream and the digital video data stream.