Patent ID: 7404001

Claim:
A telecommunications system comprising: a network; and a first node, a second node, and at least a third node in communication with each other through the network, the first node sending a first video stream having a frame rate of a live scene at the first node, a second video stream of the live scene at the first node where the second video stream has a lower frame rate than the frame rate of the first video stream and is independent and is different than the first video stream and an audio stream of the live scene at the first node to the second and third nodes as part of a video conference, the second and third nodes playing the audio stream and either the first video stream or the second video stream, the second video stream requiring less resources of the network, the second and third nodes have a display screen and when the second or third nodes display the first video stream, they display the first video stream as a large image across an area of greater than or equal to 20% of the screen, and when the second and third nodes display the second video stream, they display the second video stream as a small image across an area of less than 20% of the screen, the second node sends a first video stream of a live scene at the second node to the first and third nodes as part of the video conference.