IBM Sametime 9 Video MCU: SVC, Bandwidth and Layouts

These last couple of months, I have published on this blog several articles on the new IBM Sametime 9 media framework. The purpose of this article is to discuss Sametime Video MCU. What you can do, resolution supported and different type of call involving clients (Rich, Mobile and Web).

Details on Video MCU

The Video MCU provides conferencing functionality in Sametime 9 environment. The main purposes of the Video MCU are to:
•    Handles media and media control from Sametime 9 clients
•    Routes H264 AVC (SVC base layer) and SVC video to video enabled clients
•    Routes Scalable Audio Codec (SAC) to Sametime 9 clients
•    Support audio transcoding and audio mix for clients which don’t support SAC

In a multipoint call handled by the Video MCU, each SVC EP (Sametime 9 client) encodes multiple simulcast resolutions of people video, and may request a number of media streams (at desired resolutions and frame rates) based on its capabilities and connected displays.

Regarding SVC implementation, IBM Sametime 9 supports Spatial and Temporal scalability.
The default operation point of IBM Sametime SVC are 720p, 360p, 180p in simulcast.
Each stream in the simulcast is scalable in the temporal domain – 7.5FPS, 15FPS, 30FPS.

Configuration of Video Conferences

In Sametime System Console, in Sametime Policies section, you can create Conference Template. Two conference modes can be selected:

•    SVC only – Mode to only support IBM Sametime 9 clients only, in SVC mode.
•    Mixed AVC/SVC mode – this is the default level.
•    AVC only - This conference mode is not supported

When you are in “Mixed AVC/SVC” mode, you can choose between 6 different configurations (presets) which derive different video levels:
•    Mobile optimized – 180p, 360p, 720p – very similar to the preset used today in SVC only mode, but allow AVC participants to join.
•    QVGA optimized-240p, 480p, 720p – aimed for AVC endpoints that are configured to prefer QVGA.
•    CIF optimized – 240p, 480p, 720p – aimed for AVC endpoints that are configured to prefer CIF.
•    VGA optimized – 360p, 720p
•    SD optimized 480p, 720p – aimed for AVC endpoints that are configured to prefer SD.
•    HD optimized – 720p only.

Performance & Bandwidth of the Video MCU

In the "Zero to Hero Sametime 9 deployment guide", you can find (slide 88) that table showing the number of concurrent calls at a certain resolution and codec supported with a specific hardware configuration.

IBM has written a wiki page with Video Resolution – Bandwidth requirement for multi-point call on the Video MCU: link

One important point you will see in the different configuration just below:
"To save bandwidth, the client sends a stream only if there is at least one remote client in the conference receiving it. So, for example, if no remote client is receiving 720p@15fps, then it is not sent. Only the streams 180p@30fps and 360p@15fps are sent."

Sametime Meeting with video Configuration

For all my tests, I have used a template with the maximum bit rate for the conference with a preset "Mobile optimized " and the Sametime Clients have an unlimited line rate (Full HD). So, I'm always using the maximum resolution/bandwidth.

1/ Config 1: Two participants

In that configuration, only two participants are connected in the video session. The two participants transmit and receive only one stream (720p@30fps)

Media Statistics (Outgoing and Incoming) of the right PC

2/ Config 2: Three participants with auto layout
In the previous call, a third person just joined. In that case, the video resolution, sent and transmitted by the Sametime clients, changes. All S9 clients sent a video stream (360p@30fps) and receive two video stream (360p@30fps). It decreases the upstream bandwidth, and you have a similar downstream bandwidth.

3/ Config 3: Three participants with one using the active speaker layout

One user change his video layout from Auto to Active Speaker in Full screen. So, the active speaker will have to send a new stream (720p@30fps).

Incoming stream. Only one 720p stream is received by the PC.

4/ Config 4: Four participants with one using active speaker layout, and one connected via an iPad

In that last configuration, we have a mix of configuration: Active speaker, auto layout and mobile client. In that case, all clients will have a different bandwidth utilisation.

The user is sending three different streams to cover all requests.

The user is receiving three different streams (two from rich clients, one from the mobile with a lower resolution).

That one is coming from the bottom user, who has set his layout “Active Speaker”

That's only four different use cases, but plenty of other configurations are possible. And, don't forget, you will be able to adjust the video resolution and bandwidth by playing with multiple parameter (client line rate, conference bit rate..)

References:

In addition to my tests, I have used these three interesting links.

1. What's new in Sametime 9 audio & video: link 
2.  Sametime Blog article from Julie Reed: link
3. Sametime 9.0 Video Resolution Bandwidth Requirements: link
4. IBM technote on Media Manager policy : link

Some terminology:
•   H264 AVC – Advanced Video Codec, the legacy form of H264, supported by most video room system and clients, including Sametime legacy clients before Sametime 9
•   H264 SVC – Scalable Video Codec, enable to transmit and receive different video levels in a single RTP stream
•   MCU – Multipoint control unit – handles conferencing in Sametime 9
•   VMGR – Video Manager – manage the cluster of MCUs in a Sametime 9 environment.
•   SAC – Scalable Audio Codec – enable high level audio quality mix with excellent error resiliency without transcoding at the MCU
•   Line Rate - The maximum bandwidth allocated to individual users joining the meeting.

Sametime 9 Meeting with audio & video, and mobile...

I have just finished a two-day workshop with the German IBM UC team (Volker J., Dirk S., Frank A.), iLink team.
We have finalized their IBM Sametime 9 environment installation by adding Polycom equipments (like Polycom DMA and Group Series).

We have completed lots of tests, including on tablets...

The below screenshots come from a Sametime Rich Client Meeting.
In that Sametime Video meeting, we had 2 tablets (one iPad, one Android,), 2 Sametime Rich clients, and two Polycom Group Series...

Rich Client

Rich Client

Full screen view from an iPad

Content + Video in CP mode

Dirk and Volker have also tested the new Sametime Mobile client app to make a Point to Point call with a Sametime Rich Client.

Cool, isn't it...More to come...

My first experience with IBM Sametime 9 audio & video service

Today, I have just finished the deployment of my IBM Sametime 9 platform with the new SVC media framework.And, I have done tests with colleagues of point to point calls and multipoint calls with continuous presence on the new IBM Video MCU.

Point to Point call: (works with all Sametime bundles)

Multipoint Point Calls: (required IBM Sametime Complete)

They have also refreshed the "Audio & Video Performance" view.
You have now a better view on th audio/video traffic (Bit Rate, Resolution, Jitter...).

More tests to come, especially on Polycom interoperability.

IBM Sametime 9 Launch Event

IBM Sametime 9 launch event is just finished. That was a very good and original event.
It has been done through the IBM Virtual Event Center. That event was truly global. Polycom saw visitors from 27 different countries.

The format of this event was:

• One keynote including video, Erik Brynjolfsson, and awesome demos from Luis Benitez and Suzanne Livingston.
• Three breakouts :
• What's new in SmartCloud?
• What's new in Sametime?
• Deployment Models

• 10 virtual booths of which one from Polycom. All the IBM Polycom team was on the booth to answer to all questions/comments.

 

So, what do I have learnt from that event?

IBM Sametime 9 (eGA: Sep 20) will include:

• Next-gen media framework with scalable media bridge and codecs (H264SVC), continuous -presence video and built-in integration with HW endpoints for meetings and IM.
• Mobile IM and meetings client improvements including audio, video and mobile APIs
• Enhanced integration with IBM Connection
• Smarter Meetings, a new user experience with OneUI

John Delpizzo have shown that from a presentation delivered via an IBM Sametime 9 Meeting.

New, streamlined Sametime Experience

Continuous Presence

Mobile with Video

Codec details on IBM S9

IBM Sametime 9 and the seamless integration with Polycom portfolio will be available in all Polycom Experience Center worldwide, soon.
Come and experience it LIVE!!!

Next events:

1/ What's new in IBM Sametime 9
Join Marlon Machado on September 19 to learn about IBM Sametime 9's cutting-edge conferencing and communications capabilities that leverage your existing IT and infrastructure, mobile devices, and applications. -> link

2/ IBM Sametime 9 video functionality: Come see the excitement around continuous presence
Attend this free webcast on October 2 to get the lowdown on how IBM Sametime 9 allows for continuous video without the use of third-party technology and its parity with Microsoft Lync 2013 with David Price (Meridian IT) and Peter Lurie (Polycom). -> link

P.S: Big thanks to John Delpizzo, Luis Benitez, Suzanne Livingston, Julie Reed, Marlon Machado and Marc Pagnier... GOOD JOB!!!

IBM Completes Sametime’s Front Nine by Wainhouse Research

Wainhouse Research has written an analysis on the next major release of IBM Sametime: Version 9.
IBM Sametime 9 should be available at september 20th.

Wainhouse Research has hightlighted two major enhancements for these release:

• A simplified, streamlined user experience

"Both the browser-based and native Sametime clients have undergone a number of both look-and-feel and workflow refinements."

• “Out of the box” Continuous Presence

"A new SVC-capable, software-based video conferencing capability supports conferences with up to 2,000 attendees, with the ability to view up to six simultaneous video streams (four on mobile devices), developed by IBM with guidance from Polycom."

Link to Wainhouse Research Bulletin: here

I will share with you, next week, more details, pictures on IBM Sametime 9, based on my tests during S9 beta program.

Online Video Banking with Polycom RealPresence CloudAXIS

Customer service today is largely made up of outsourced call centers, integrated voice response (IVR) systems that keep you away from a real customer service officer. Or you may think of webchat windows that pop up while you are surfing sites like amazon, offering to help answer any questions you may have.

With Polycom, customer service can now be Visual. More personal, more interactive and ultimately, more effective.
The RealPresence CloudAXIS allows you to upgrade an instant messaging conversation or question, to a face to face conversation with a customer service rep or subject matter expert – ensuring that customers that are researching online have instant answers. But also customers that are purchasing online, don’t leave a website to go to a competitor’s or just lose the motivation to buy.

Empowers video banking or visual customer service by delivering the trust, confidence and information a customer needs to progress the  purchase of relatively complex products. Video collaboration can be initiated through a link sent via online chat message. It extends one of your front office channels to improve the customer experience and sales.

That demonstration will illustrate these principle via a fictional Banking Web Site which has implemented RealPresence CloudAXIS in their Banking processes.

The mockup I've used for this demonstration is based on RealPresence CloudAXIS, IBM WebSphere Portal and IBM Banking Template for IBM WebSphere Portal.

Other info about Polycom offerings for Financial Services: http://www.polycom.com/solutions/solutions-by-industry/financial-services.html

Video-Enabled Robotics

I'm a big fan of "Robot series" the series of short stories and novels by Isaac Asimov. Robots are invading our lives... Primarily to do the cleaning, but they are becoming more and more intelligent...

Thanks to a newly announced partnership with Anybots - a robotics innovator based in Mountain View, Calif.- Polycom is becoming a part of that world by integrating our video collaboration technology in a video-enabled robot called QB.

 I'm very enthusiastic by this announcement.

Social Communications (IBM Sametime) at IBM Connect

IBM Connect is almost done.. So, how did this IBM turn out ?
Key messages -> Social, Social, Social....

I have been very interesting by IBM Social Communications session this year as you can imagine.
I have followed some of them presented by former colleagues like John Delpizzo, Marlon Machado (Clevershutter), Julie Reed, Pat Galvin (@patgalvin)...

One sentence is the right illustration of what they have announced : "We have been listening", especially on the Video side...
They have addressed lots of challenges, listed just below:

Video Everywhere, Video Ubiquity..

Continuous Presence, instead of Voice activated switching Mode

Geographical Distribution of IBM Sametime Video Engine

Interoperability - A key element to ensure easy integration in heterogeneous environment

High Availability for the best SLA, because rich Communications are becoming critical

To achieve all of these challenges, IBM has redesigned their video engine.

• One : They plan to implement a new video codec in their platform -> H264 SVC in addition of H264 AVC (for backward compatibility). That's a really good news. I have explained the SVC protocol and its advantage here.

• Two: Audio-Video everywhere -> Rich client, Web Client, Mobile Client...

 

• Three:  A soft MCU for SVC Media Relay and AVC Voice Activated switching mode

 

So, the conclusion is that I want to play with IBM Sametime Next !!!

IBM Sametime, Social Communications at IBM Connect 2013

With IBM Connect 2013 only two weeks away, I have been spending a lot of time checking which session to attend. And, I was very happy and impressed by the number of sessions related to Social Communications.

Demystifying Your IBM Sametime Deployment with the Configuration Validator	Jan 27, 8:00am - 10:00am
IBM Sametime 8.5.3 Architecture and Deployment Workshop	Jan 27, 10:30am - 12:30pm
IBM Sametime Unified Telephony QuickStart Deployment	Jan 27, 1:30pm - 3:30pm
From Zero to Mobile Hero: IBM Sametime 8.5.2 Mobile Access Server install	Jan 27, 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Australian Bureau of Statistics: Powerful, Engaging, and Visual Social Communications	Jan 28, 5:00pm - 6:00pm
Social Communications Strategy and the IBM Sametime Roadmap	Jan 28, 5:00pm - 6:00pm
What's Next in IBM Sametime	Jan 29, 1:30pm - 2:30pm
Continental: Unleashing a Smarter Workforce with IBM Sametime for Social Collaboration	Jan 29, 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Face It, We Need to Talk! Rich Media in IBM Sametime	Jan 29, 1:30pm - 2:30pm
IBM Sametime Mobile Instant Messaging and Meetings	Jan 29, 5:30pm - 6:30pm
Taking IBM Sametime to the Edge: Deploying a Collaborative Extranet	Jan 30, 4:15pm - 5:15pm
Seeing is Believing: Advanced Video Technology for IBM Sametime	Jan 30, 8:15am - 9:15am
If it Fits, it Ships! Getting the Most out of Your IBM Sametime Client Install	Jan 30, 8:00am - 9:45am
Best Practices for IBM Sametime Meetings Deployment End-to-End	Jan 30, 10:00am - 11:00am
IBM Sametime System Console: One-Stop Sametime Administration	Jan 30, 5:30pm - 6:30pm
Social Communications: A Roadmap to Connecting Sametime with Everything	Jan 30, 5:30pm - 6:30pm
Best Practices in Voice and Video Deployment	Jan 31, 8:30am - 9:30am
Using the IBM Sametime Proxy SDK: Websphere Portal, IBM Connections - and Beyond	Jan 31, 11:15am - 12:15pm

Waouh !! 18 sessions.. Two customers' story... And of course, we can be sure that IBM Sametime and Social Communications will be demonstrated during OGS, other breakout sessions and Bird of feathers...

Hard choice.. My top three sessions:

1. Social Communications Strategy and the IBM Sametime Roadmap - John Delpizzo will probably reveal some of the key features of Sametime Next...
2. Australian Bureau of Statistics: Powerful, Engaging, and Visual Social Communications - You have to hear that customer success... A nice deployment of Social Visual Communications with IBM & Polycom.
3. Social Communications: A Roadmap to Connecting Sametime with Everything - it will help you see what choices others have made and why, (with live demos)

But, of course, I encourage you to follow other sessions, if you are interested by deploying IBM Social Communications in your organization or for your customers.

And, don't hesitate to come in the IBM Connect Showcase to see IBM + Polycom in action or discuss about your project. My team and I will be on the Polycom booth (B21-23)...

RealPresence Desktop v2.0( for Windows) is GA

RealPresence Desktop v2.0( for Windows) is general available now!

You can get the software, help file and release notes from support.polycom.com. You also can get data sheet and FAQs from www.polycom.com. 

RealPresence Desktop is a new software desktop client. It provides new user experience, align with other new Polycom end point products.
RealPresence Mobile/Desktop plus RealPresence Platform delivers the essential provisioning, management, system interoperability, firewall traversal, and scalability that CIOs require, and the reliability, security, multi-point, content sharing and lifelike quality that users demand, all of which drives higher productivity, adoption rates, and return on investment.
Enjoy your journey with our new soft desktop client from now...

SVC Call with RealPresence Desktop

SVC Call with Content

What are the key features of the app?
At a high-level the RealPresence Desktop for Windows supports standards-based H.323/SIP call
signaling, Content send and receive with the ability to select specific apps as the content, SVC/AVC
interoperability, firewall traversal, dual monitors, and up to HD send and receive audio, video and content. 

• Simplified install and setup
• NEW consistent and extremely easy-to-use interface
• NEW SVC and AVC capable
• NEW firewall traversal support through RealPresence Access Director
• NEW Content application select feature
• Full HD audio, video and content
• Standards-based Content over H.323 and SIP networks
• Dual monitor support

We're About to Make History Oct 8th...

Polycom is about to change the future of video collaboration with the largest launch of new products and solutions in our 20+ year history.

On October 8, broadcasting live from the NASDAQ MarketSite, Polycom will discuss game-changing additions and enhancements to our visionary portfolio that will change the future of video collaboration.

Register to join the live webcast from the NASDAQ as we bring the world the future we’ve all been waiting for.

I look forward to sharing this exciting news with you and hope you can attend the live event.

TEAM Polycom 2012 s’invite à Paris !!

Le thème de la conférence annuelle Polycom 2012 était Real Impact et nous avons tenu parole !
Nous souhaitons partager avec vous les informations, la stratégie et les innovations de Polycom annoncés lors de ce grand événement.

Retrouvez-votre équipe Polycom France pour une après midi intéractive qui vous fera découvrir les moments forts de TEAM Polycom :

• ‘Real Impact’ pour rester leader du marché – venez découvrir les grandes tendances du marché et la nouvelle stratégie adoptée par Polycom.
• ‘Real Impact’ d'une marque locomotive du marché –nouveau Polycom, nouvelle image.

Réussir aujourd'hui pour réussir demain –la vidéo se généralise grâce à Polycom : ‘Open Standards’,  la collaboration vidéo mobile, services vidéo dans le cloud, les services d'adoption et la tendance BYOD.

Agenda :
Jeudi 7 juin, 2012

• 9 h – 12h30 Session dédiée Partenaires
• 12h30 -14h Buffet Polycom, partenaires et clients
• 14h-17h30 session dédiée Clients

Un agenda détaillé vous sera envoyé

Lieu :
IBM Forum Paris
17, avenue de l’Europe
92275 Bois-Colombes
Plan d'accès

>> Enregistrez-vous <<

Using Web & Video as a new communication channels for B2C, B2B, & B2E

"Web is the platform": The web has changing the way people interact with others, find information, buy new products, consume information... Every companies in the world have a corporate intranet, an external B2B/B2C web site.
Video is also becoming a new language of business. 576 million video calls in the last year (Business & Consumer)..

Some organizations have deployed live chat system for their extranets, which is good to interact with customers or partners in real-time, but for "Gold" customers or to create more intimacy.
Video is a best channel of communications. Remember, only 7% of information is sent through words, the remaining 93% of communication is non-verbal.

Video & Online Banking

The concept of Internet banking has been simultaneously evolving with the development of the world wide web. Imagine a bank agent will to exchange with one of his customer on a tough subject. Chat or audio is not enough. Some banks have already integrated video into banking kiosks linked to their centralized video call center to improve efficiency and productivity of their employees.

Customer interaction - Product Support
The same approach can be used to interact with customers about new products, to support product installation, troubleshooting...

In these two examples leverage Polycom Realpresence and IBM technologies.
By adapting the widget provided by "IBM Sametime Video Chat Plug-in for IBM Connections", you can include a button, a link in any web page.

The unnoticed parameter of Sametime 8.5.2 IFR1 : sutLiteNumberMatcher

A new parameter has been presented at Lotusphere 2012. Unfortunately, that parameter has gone unnoticed : sutLiteNumberMatcher.

What is the purpose of that parameter ?

Two different approach are available to integrate an IBM Sametime with Polycom Real Presence infrastructure.

• TCSPI adapter on the Sametime Media Manager to provide User-based dialing.
• SIP Trunk on the Sametime Media Manager to provide Device-based dialing.

IBM Sametime Unified Telephony Lite lets users make and receive voice and video calls from their desktops using the Sametime Connect Client as a rich, standards-based audio/video softphone.
But, when you deploy an audio or video TCSPI, it will take over the voice/video channel of IBM Sametime.
So, if you specify Polycom (or other video technology) as Service Provider (picture 1), you won' be to do a call to an endpoint or a virtual meeting room (VMR) via your Sametime Phonebook or buddy list.

Picture 1 : IBM Sametime Service Providers window

In 8.5.2, the ST client automatically passed any SIP URI to SUT Lite.  Starting in IFR1, only SIP URIs that match a managed settings filter will get routed to SUT Lite.  Any SIP URIs not matching the filter will go to TCSPI. 

So, If you enter a new entry in Sametime phonebook (Picture 2) or from your buddy list (picture 3), how can you make a SUT Lite call?

 Picture 2

 Picture 3

With the famous parameter sutLiteNumberMatcher, introduced during the very interesting session ID220 "Sametime® Unified Telephony Lite: Communicating with Devices".
The idea is to override the TCSPI adapter for specific number you can have add in your Sametime Phonebook. In the IBM La Gaude Polycom environment, the dial plan of personal VMRs is 6xxx.

Procedure:

The parameter sutLiteNumberMatcher needs contain a regular expression to recognize the dial number of the video endpoint or VMR. In my environment : 6\d{3}
Any dial string matches that regular expression will be passed to SUT Lite.

In order to provision ST client with that parameter, you wil have to leverage IBM Expeditor managed settings framework to create a managed-settings.xml file and post it to an update site, clients receive new or updated preferences automatically. The managed-settings.xml file is policy-based, so you can define different sets of preferences for different users. This method applies only to Sametime® Connect clients.

In our case, the content of the managed-settings.xml will be:
<ManagedSettings>
<settingGroup name="com.ibm.collaboration.realtime.telephony.ui"> 
    <setting name="sutLiteNumberMatcher" value="6\d{3}" isLocked="false"/>
</settingGroup>
</ManagedSettings>

In some heteregeneous environment, you could have several SIP trunk with multiple dial plan. In that case, you will have to create a more complex regular expression.

• For the SIP Trunk 1 to a audio ipbx, the SIP URI is  sip:xxx@test.com
• For the SIP Trunk 2 to Polycom DMA7000, the SIP URI is  sip:xxx@polycom.com

The value that you will have to put in the managed-settings.xml file is :
<setting name="sutLiteNumberMatcher" value="sip:.*@(test|polycom)\.com" isLocked="false" />

See Sametime wiki for more information about to setup the managed-setting.xml: here
See Lotus Notes/Domini for more information about to setup the managed-setting.xml: here 

Troubleshooting:

1/ Check the content of this file : com.ibm.collaboration.realtime.telephony.ui.prefs in that folder file:///C:/Users/%username%/AppData/Roaming/Lotus/Sametime/.metadata/.plugins/org.eclipse.core.runtime/.settings
You should find that line :  sutLiteNumberMatcher=6\\d{3}

2/ Activate that level of log : com.ibm.collaboration.realtime.telephony.ui.level=FINEST
You can find how to enable finest level of log here.

After enabling the right level of log, you will be able to read in the log file this line :
com.ibm.collaboration.realtime.telephony.ui.ServiceProviderUtilisSutLiteOverride ->  SUT Lite matcher 6\d{3} matches true/false

P.S: Open a service request with IBM Support to request a hotfix for Sametime 8.5.2. IFR1 to leverage that parameter.

All this test has been done with Todd Page (Polycom) & Fabrice Duband (IBM).

Business Gets Social 2012 in Eindhoven with Acuity

I spent the day in the High Tech campus in Eindoven to attend Business Gets Social (Lotusphere comes to you) event as speaker.

Acuity organized a very engaging event with customers & business partners.
That was interesting with famous speakers in the Lotus community like Laurent Boes and Niklas Heidloff, and some former colleague like Reynout Adrichem Boogaert.

Some pictures of the event : 

Laurent explaining Social Mail, Activity Streams...

A Sametime Meeting demo with Polycom video solution (a HDX and an ipad)

Niklas describing the value of the OpenNTF community.

The expert zone with Reynout before the lunch.

If you was not able to attend, please find my presentation on Slideshare :

Polycom - Unified communication with IBM

View more PowerPoint from Vincent Perrin