NIM’s work in the recently completed TA2 project was featured in The Register.

In TA2, we hypothesised that the use of multiple cameras in each location could facilitate such communication experiences. However, this generated a new problem: how would content from multiple cameras be shown on each particular screen? One answer is to have an automatic decision making process that is aware of the conversation flow and is able to represent it by controlling the cameras and mixing their content onto the screen of each location. This is similar to what a TV director would do to cover a live event, but more complex, as each room effectively needs its own dedicated director choosing from the shots available in the other rooms. We called this process orchestration. The overriding assumption was that, should we be able to build an intelligent system able of orchestration, then a vibrant and engaging representation of the shared activity would be achieved on each screen, finally leading to the participants being immersed in the communication experience, unaware of the technology and devices trough which it takes place.

The Register seemed to agree describing our system as being a bit like Minority Report.
To find out more about our research into Orchestration check out our latest public deliverable on the subject.