How do the meeting layouts work?

The layout used in a conference determines how meeting participants are displayed when they are connected over video, and how other participants — such as those with an audio-only connection — are indicated.

There are three main layouts that are used by default on the Pexip Service:

• The Adaptive Composition layout, which is the default layout for all Pexip meetings (personal and team VMRs, and scheduled meetings in one-time-use rooms).
• The Teams-like layout which is the default layout for our Microsoft Teams CVI integrations (and only applies to Teams calls).
• The 1+7 layout, which is used by default for VTCs connecting to our integration/interop solutions for Google Meet and Skype for Business meetings.

However, you can choose from a range of alternative layouts for your calls, and you can dynamically change the layout in use during a call (see Using endpoints to control the layout and manage meetings).

Adaptive Composition layout

Adaptive Composition is an intelligent meeting layout with real-time automatic face detection and framing:

• Powered by AI and machine learning to give users a more natural, engaging, video-first meeting experience.

• It continuously analyzes each video feed from all participants and uses automatic face detection and framing to create an optimized view of that participant, or group of participants where there are several people in that video feed.

• Layout placement of each participant is based on a combination of face count (number of faces detected within that participant's video feed) and their recent speaking frequency, so as to allocate more space for larger groups of people.

• Independent of where the participants are and which device they are using. No end-user action or configuration is required.

When using the Adaptive Composition layout:

• A maximum of 12 video participants are shown, spread across one row of 2 large images, a middle row of 3 slightly smaller images and a bottom row of 7 thumbnail images.

• The name of each video participant is shown in an overlay at the bottom of each image, with the name of the currently active speaker shown in green instead of white.

• Single-screen endpoints automatically receive any presentation content as part of the layout mix (replacing some of the other video participants), rather than as a separate stream.

• Any inactive video participants are automatically removed from the video layout. This is triggered if the participant:

  • Walks away from the camera, leaving an empty chair in frame i.e. no face is detected.
  • Points the camera at the ceiling or other place where no movement is detected.
  • Physically closes the camera lid or puts a cover over the camera.

  Note that these participants still continue to receive the full video layout.

  The participant is returned to the video layout if video is restored, or if any faces or movement are detected. Face detection is applied periodically on SIP/H.323 endpoints, or if audio is detected (all device types).

• All conference indicators, such as participant counts, audio participants, recording indicators and locked status are shown at the top-center of the layout. (The 1+33 layout also displays its indicators at the top of the layout.)

The conference indicators shown at the top-center of the layout include:

	Total participant count. This is displayed when there are more participants than can be shown in the current layout.
	Number of participants connected as audio-only.
	Number of inactive video participants and video-muted Pexip app participants, who are excluded from the video layout.
	An audio or inactive video participant's display name is shown if they start speaking.
	Conference locked indicator.
	Conference locked/unlocked messages are temporarily displayed when a conference is locked/unlocked.
	Recording / streaming indicator.

Note that Adaptive Composition applies face-detection technology, but does not apply any biometric or facial-recognition technology or store any such related data.

1+7 layout and other alternative layouts

In addition to Adaptive Composition, a range of other classic layouts may be used. These alternative layouts do not apply any face detection or framing technologies.

Speaker-focused layouts

The set of speaker-focused layout options are:

• 1+7 (1 large main speaker and up to 7 other participants) — this is the default layout for VTCs connecting to any of our integration/interop solutions (Microsoft Teams, Google Meet and Skype for Business meetings)
• 1+0 (full-screen main speaker only)
• 2+21 (2 main speakers and up to 21 other participants)
• 1+33 (1 main speaker and up to 33 other participants)

Equal layouts

The set of equal layout options are:

• 2x2 (4 speakers)
• 3x3 (9 speakers)
• 4x4 (16 speakers)
• 5x5 (25 speakers)

Layout features

These alternative classic layout types (1+7, 2x2 and so on) provide similar features to Adaptive Composition in terms of showing participant numbers, lock status and so on, but these various indicators are in different positions within the layout.

When using the 1+7 layout:

• The main video shows the current speaker (or previous speaker, for those currently speaking).

• Up to 7 other participants are shown in a single row of live thumbnails at the bottom of the screen.

  • Participants are shown in the thumbnails in order of who spoke most recently, from left to right, regardless of whether they are a host or guest.
  • If there are more participants than there are thumbnails available, the number of additional participants is indicated in the far right thumbnail.
  • Audio-only participants and video-muted Pexip app participants are represented by indicators ( and respectively) on the left side of the video window.

• The name of each video participant is shown in an overlay at the bottom of each image, with the name of the currently active speaker shown in green instead of white.

The other layout types follow the same principles but show more or less participants as appropriate, as shown in the examples below.

Supported layouts for Pexip and gateway meetings, and changing the default layout

While any layout can be used as the default layout for Pexip meetings, our interoperability solutions offer a subset of layout options that you can have as your default layout:

• Pexip Meetings (personal and team VMR): any layout can be used
• Teams CVI: 1+7, 1+0, 2x2, 3x3 and Teams-like (see Join workflow, layouts and notifications for Teams meetings for more information)
• Google Meet interop: 1+7, 1+0, 2x2, 3x3, 4x4, 5x5 and 2+21 (see Google meeting layouts for more information)
• Skype for Business interop: 1+7 only

To request a change to the default layout used for any of your conferences, please contact your account manager at your local certified Pexip Partner.

When in a Pexip or Teams CVI meeting, you can also dynamically change the layout in use during the call. This feature lets you cycle through a subset of the supported layouts for that meeting type — see Using endpoints to control the layout and manage meetings to see which layouts are included in the cycle sequence.

Layout examples

The numbers in the layout examples indicate the order in which participants are displayed as they join the meeting, or become voice switched into view.