Protocols for integrated audio and shared windows in collaborative systems

ABSTRACT

This paper describes the architecture and protocols for integrating real-time audio and shared windows in computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW) environments. Such applications require that actions on shared windows be synchronized with accompanying audio. We give a characterization of this synchronization problem and propose an architecture for handling audio-enhanced cooperative work. We present a protocol for synchronizing the audio stream and window-event streams and evaluate its performance.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.5 INFORMATION INTERFACES AND PRESENTATION (I.7)
      H.5.1 Multimedia Information Systems
          Subjects: Audio input/output

Additional Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.5 INFORMATION INTERFACES AND PRESENTATION (I.7)
      H.5.2 User Interfaces (D.2.2, H.1.2, I.3.6)
          Subjects: Windowing systems
      H.5.3 Group and Organization Interfaces
          Subjects: Synchronous interaction

General Terms:
Algorithms, Design, Experimentation, Performance