Systems and Methods for Managing Multimedia Operations in Remote Sessions

Abstract

Techniques relating to managing multimedia transmissions in terminal services scenarios are described. In an example, a method sends a user-interface component from a server to a remote client. The exemplary 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.

1 .- 19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . A method of providing a collaboration session between a computing device and a client, comprising:
 receiving, at a computing device, server-side media-playback-commands of a server-side media platform specific to the computing device, wherein the server-side media-playback-commands are from a client having a client-side media platform specific to the client;   translating the server-side media-playback-commands into platform generic media-playback-commands; and   transmitting the platform generic media-playback-commands to the client, wherein the client translates the platform generic media-playback-commands into client-side media-playback-commands of the client-side media platform specific to the client.   
     
     
         21 . A method as recited in  claim 20 , further comprising:
 presenting a user-interface at the client, in a media presentation window, and tracking changes to the media presentation window.   
     
     
         22 . A method as recited in  claim 21 , wherein said tracking comprises assigning a unique identifier to the media presentation window, the method further comprising:
 instantiating a media application as the media presentation window; and   relaying, to the client, changes to the media presentation window to allow the media presentation window to be oriented relative to the user-interface.   
     
     
         23 . A method as recited in  claim 20 , further comprising:
 determining a format of media data utilized by the client-side media platform specific to the client; and   evaluating a capacity of the client to decode and render the media data in the format.   
     
     
         24 . A method as recited in  claim 23 , wherein the format of the media data is a first media data format, and further comprising:
 responsive to the client lacking the capacity to decode and render the media data in the first media data format, decoding the media data and re-encoding the media data in a second media data format which the client is configured to handle, wherein the first and the second media data formats are different.   
     
     
         25 . A method as recited in  claim 20 , further comprising:
 establishing a virtual channel connection with the client,   negotiating formats which are supported by both the client and a source of media communicated to the client; and,   setting up a distributed topology with the client.   
     
     
         26 . A method as recited in  claim 25 , wherein the setting-up a distributed topology comprises inserting a network transmitter at the source and a network receiver at the client. 
     
     
         27 . A server comprising:
 a user-interface-component that includes graphics and images that comprise a user-interface, the user-interface-component in communication with a client; and   a media component that provides media presentation data to be played, at the client, through the user-interface-component, the media component configured to translate first platform specific media-playback-commands of a first media platform supported by the server to platform generic media-playback-commands as a result of the client being unable to process the first platform specific media-playback-commands for the first media platform, wherein the first platform specific media-playback-commands of the first media platform are received from the client, and wherein the client translates the platform generic media-playback-commands to second platform specific media-playback-commands for a second media platform.   
     
     
         28 . The server as recited in  claim 27 , wherein the user-interface-component comprises a media application window. 
     
     
         29 . The server as recited in  claim 28 , wherein the media component is configured to be presented in a media presentation target window within the media application window. 
     
     
         30 . The server as recited in  claim 29 , wherein the media presentation data is tracked by tracking the media presentation target window relative to the media application window. 
     
     
         31 . The server as recited in  claim 30 , wherein the tracking comprises relaying a relative position of the media presentation target window relative to the media application window to a remote terminal session client. 
     
     
         32 . The server as recited in  claim 30 , wherein the tracking comprises inserting a placeholder on a server desktop which represents the media presentation target window and tracking any changes affecting the placeholder. 
     
     
         33 . The server as recited in  claim 27 , wherein the media component is configured to determine what media formats are supported by a remote terminal session client. 
     
     
         34 . The server as recited in  claim 27 , wherein the media component is configured to establish a distributed topology with the remote terminal session client. 
     
     
         35 . The server as recited in  claim 27 , wherein the media component is configured to send and stream the media presentation data in a terminal services session. 
     
     
         36 . A method of providing a collaboration session between a computing device and a client, comprising:
 providing, by a client having a client-side media platform specific to the client, server-side media-playback-commands of a server-side media platform specific to a server;   receiving, at the client, platform generic media-playback-commands, wherein the platform generic media-playback-commands correspond to a translation of the server-side media-playback commands; and   translating the platform generic media-playback-commands into client-side media-playback-commands of the client-side media platform specific to the client.   
     
     
         37 . A method as recited in  claim 36 , further comprising:
 presenting a user-interface at the client, in a media presentation window, and tracking changes to the media presentation window.   
     
     
         38 . A method as recited in  claim 37 , wherein a media application is instantiated as the media presentation window, and wherein said tracking comprises assigning a unique identifier to the media presentation window, and further comprising:
 maintaining a relative orientation of the media presentation window with respect to the user-interface despite changes to the media presentation window.   
     
     
         39 . A method as recited in  claim 36 , further comprising:
 establishing a virtual channel connection with the server, and   negotiating formats which are supported by both the client and a source of media communicated to the client.