chris moffatt lead program manager learning sciences & technology microsoft research...
TRANSCRIPT
Chris MoffattLead Program ManagerLearning Sciences & TechnologyMicrosoft Research
Project Overview
Objectives Build ConferenceXP Research Platform
Infrastructure for real-time collaboration Core emphasis on high quality, low latency
video Use standard protocols and data formats and
publish API’s Partner with Universities to:
Design and build prototype learning applications that leverage the ConferenceXP platform
Perform classroom and distance trials to assess effectiveness and outcomes of technology
Establish a user-community of developers and implementers
Improve the “in classroom” experience
Learning Experience Project
Enabling three Scenarios
Enable effective Distance education
Learning Experience Project
Enabling three Scenarios
Add asynchronous capabilities to the
classroom
Learning Experience Project
Enabling three Scenarios
Guiding Scenario Deliver a 5-way graduate level CS
class between TAB Universities and MSR UW, Brown, CMU, Berkeley, MSR
Milestones 5-way TAB Call (Personal Nodes) Successful 2-way distance learning course
UW Professional Masters Course
Research Platform and Prototype Applications
Conference API
Rtp API
LearningXP Services
Professor Experience
UW
Student Experience
Brown
New Projects
UCB - LiveNotesUCSD - Active Campus
UCDavis - Smart ClassroomUSC/ISI – (Rtp)
UCSC - Workflow
System Components
Facilitate lecturing – scrollable overlays, integrated whiteboard, attention
indicators
Presenter (UW)
System ComponentsConferenceXP Client (MSR)
Enable distance learning – immersive and interactive discussion enabled by high quality, low latency audio and
video
System ComponentsReMarkableTexts
(Brown)
Facilitate ad-hoc, small group learning – note taking, collaborative review, context-sensitive playback
System Components
Archive Service – synchronized streaming of audio, video, ink strokes, and document
navigation into SQL Server 2000
System Components
Class Portal
Windows Sharepoint Services Template – supports asynchronous activities
System Components
Student device
On demand playback; Integration of sync & async activities
System Components
ConferenceXP ArchitectureConference XP User Interface
Custom UI
Conference API
CustomCapability ViewerCapability Sender
Rtp API
RTDocumentsCapability ViewerCapability Sender
RTDocuments API
RTDocuments UI
Audio / VideoCapability ViewerCapability Sender
DirectShow
Audio / Video UI
IETF 1889 RFP Protocol
Multicast & Unicast UDP/IP
ConferenceXP Services
Reflector / Gateway Archive / Playback DiagnosticsVenue
ConferenceXP Client Utilizes Windows Media High Quality Audio
& Video Codec's, DirectShow, and a custom low latency networking stack (RTP).
The ConferenceXP UI is a ‘sample’ UI. Conference API allows different skins to be easily created. (e.g. launch ConferenceXP from Messenger)
The conferencing architecture supports: Full screen video at 30 fps, with 250 ms latency FireWire cameras to enable high quality,
efficient video capture Five way conferencing < 2 Mb/s
Network Components A key design decision of ConferenceXP was to
utilize Internet2 and multicast to deliver high quality and low latency streaming video
Real Time Protocol (RTP) A peer to peer network transport that handles stream
and message data. Designed for scenarios where latency is more
important than guaranteed delivery. Network Diagnostics
A utility called PipeCleaner provides the ability to monitor, log and diagnose multicast network problems.
Unicast Bridge Enables retransmission of multicast signals over
unicast. Designed primarily for use as a backup to multicast
ConferenceXP Services Venue Service
Provides the services necessary to create and manage ‘collaboration and learning venues’
Venue Service interfaces are exposed as Web Services
Archive Service (not yet released) Enables the recording and playback of lectures
and conferences. Microsoft SQL Server 2000 is used as the
archival platform Exposed as a .NET TCP remoting server,
supporting direct access for clients during playback to enable fast-forward, pause, rewind etc.
Questions?