Patent ID: 8736656

Claim:
A method for a multipoint control unit (MCU) to optimize a configuration of multiple pictures, comprising: calculating, according to resolutions, bandwidths, frame rates, importance, and volume of received video images sent by N conferencing terminals, an area occupied by each of the video images in a picture presented on an MCU display screen, wherein N is a natural number greater than or equal to two; and dividing, according to the area occupied by each of the video images in the picture presented on the MCU display screen, the picture presented on the MCU display screen into N regions, and filling the video images sent by the N conferencing terminals into corresponding regions of the picture presented on the MCU display screen, wherein dividing, according to the area occupied by each of the video images in the picture presented on the MCU display screen, the picture presented on the MCU display screen into N regions, comprises: determining, according to the video images sent by the N conferencing terminals and the picture presented on the MCU display screen, a direction of division of the picture presented on the MCU display screen; and dividing the picture according to the area occupied by each of the video images in the picture presented on the MCU display screen and the direction of division of the picture presented on the MCU display screen.