Patent ID: 8395653

Claim:
An automated videoconferencing method, comprising: housing first and second cameras on a base of an endpoint; integrally housing microphones on the base; capturing wide and tight view video for a videoconference by sharing a same vantage point of an environment with the first and second cameras co-located on the endpoint; capturing audio with the microphones co-located on the endpoint relative to the first and second cameras; outputting the wide view video for the videoconference captured with the first camera by directing the first camera in a wide view of the environment from the shared vantage point; and determining, during the videoconference, locations of audio indicative of speech in the environment relative to the shared vantage point using the microphones co-located on the endpoint, wherein for each determination, the method comprises directing the second camera co-located on the endpoint at the location while outputting the wide view video from the first camera for the videoconference, and subsequently switching output for the videoconference from the wide view video to the tight view video captured with the second camera in a tight view of the location from the shared vantage point, and wherein for at least one of the determinations, the method comprises detecting an audio exchange between at least two of the locations in the environment and outputting the wide view video of the first camera from the shared vantage point for the videoconference instead of outputting the tight view video of the second camera from the shared vantage point.