Determining user perceived delays in voice conferencing systems and video conferencing systems

摘要

The determination of user perceived delay in audio and video conferencing systems/services is described. Example embodiments consistent with the present invention measure delays in audio and/or video conferencing systems and services, by treating such systems and services as black boxes, thereby providing end-to-end delays as they would be perceived by users. For example, the user perceived round-trip delay in a video conference system/service may include time delays from each of video capture, video encoding, video transmission, video decoding and video rendering.

主权项

1. A method for measuring a user perceived one-way delay in a video conferencing system, the method comprising:
a) running a stopwatch program on a receiving unit at a first location to generate a source stopwatch video (“SV”) displayed on a display device associated with the receiving unit; b) capturing, with a video camera associated with a sending unit at the first location, video of the displayed SV (“DSV”); c) sending, via the video conferencing system, the captured DSV (“CDSV”) from the sending unit to the receiving unit; d) receiving, by the receiving unit, the sent CDSV (“SCDSV”); e) displaying, by the receiving unit, the received SCDSV (“RCDSV”) on a display device associated with the receiving unit, thereby generating a display screen including both (1) a current stopwatch video, and (2) the RCDSV; e) capturing a snapshot of the display screen including both (1) an image of the current stopwatch video, and (2) an image of the RCDSV; f) converting, using a processor, (1) the image of the current stopwatch video in the captured snapshot to a first stopwatch value, and (2) the image of the RCDSV in the captured snapshot to a second stopwatch value; and g) determining the user perceived one-way delay in the video conferring service based on a time difference between the first stopwatch value and the second stopwatch value.