Sharing Content During Conferences
Polycom®, Inc. 109
Content Sharing Related Issues

Sharing Content in Cascaded Environments

In cascaded environments, content must be shared using the same content rate, and in H.264 conferences,
the same resolution and frame rate as well.
Sharing content has different constraints and guidelines over each of the signaling protocols:
●Over H.323 cascaded links -
Fixed content rate is used.
In cascading environments with non-Polycom MCUs, the Polycom MCU must be defined as
Master
For H.263 cascading links:
The cascading link must be created before connecting the participants.
The cascaded link’s Master/Slave role must be determined, in topologies including more than
two MCUs.
For H.264 cascading links, the following should be determined in advance:
The H.264 Cascade and SVC Optimized content protocol must be selected.
The cascaded link’s Master/Slave role must be configured for the link’s participants.
●Over SIP - No content sharing is supported over SIP cascaded links.

Sending Content to Legacy Endpoints (CP Only)

The Collaboration Server can be configured to send content to endpoints not supporting the conference
content parameters (legacy endpoints) over the people video layout, thus allowing the participants to view
content. However, these endpoints cannot share content.

Guidelines for Sending Content to Legacy Endpoints

●A separate HD video resource is allocated to the conference for content sending to legacy endpoints.
Allocation is performed only once a legacy content endpoint is connected to the conference, and a
content session is initiated and transmitted via the people video layout. Once the resource is
allocated, it remains allocated to the conference until its end.
If the system cannot allocate the resource required for sending the content, the conference status
changes to Content Resource Deficiency, and content cannot be sent to the legacy endpoints.
●Endpoints receiving content via the people video layout, use the same video protocol and resolution
they use for receiving video.
●Content cannot be sent to Legacy endpoints when Same Layout mode is selected for the conference.
●When content is transmitted, endpoints’ Site Names cannot be viewed.
Gateway calls are implemented as cascaded links, typically SIP, in which case, content
cannot be shared via the content channel. It may be viewed over the people video layout,
depending on Legacy configuration (see Sending Content to Legacy Endpoints (CP Only)).