User Guide to the Conference Manager for
Managing the Virtual Court

Introduction

This page serves as a User Guide for court staff responsible for managing Liberty Virtual Court conferences. We recommend that court staff begin by watching the short, 10 minute tutorial video linked below. The video serves as a quick introduction to managing the Liberty Virtual Courtroom using the Conference Manager Window.

Overview and Diagram of the Hybrid / Virtual Court

The Liberty Hybrid / Virtual Courtroom allows a court of record to capture the audio and optionally the video of a hybrid or virtual court session conducted over the Internet or over regular telephone lines.

The primary difference between the Liberty Hybrid / Virtual Courtroom and other general-purpose conferencing systems is that the Liberty system captures the audio and optionally the video from each participant into individual audio and video channels. Capturing each participant in their own audio channel later allows a transcriptionist to accurately transcribe and certify the resulting transcript of the court session.

When using the Liberty Hybrid / Virtual Courtroom program, each remote participant first connects to a Conference Server based on the Internet and must then wait in the Conference Server "Lobby" until they are connected to the courtroom by authorized court staff. Remote participants have only a subset of system functions and cannot in any way initiate a session with the courtroom.

Conference Servers act as funnels and do not save any of the transmitted data. Recording files are only saved onto the recording computer. Other files and other data are not saved anywhere other than the recording computer. All of the audio / video data, and all other data transmitted during the conference is encrypted using standards and protocols defined in the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-131A.

The diagram below shows an overview of the required setup. The three remote participants are connecting to the court over the Internet. The court has provided the necessary sound system (DSP) and the cameras required to allow the remote participants to see various views in the courtroom, such as the judge, witness and attorneys.

Managing Remote Participant User Definitions

Your supplier will provide the court with signon details for permanent virtual courtroom users as well as access to a website where temporary participant links and Phone Codes can be generated.

• Follow this link for details about creating links and Phone Codes for temporary participants accessing the Virtual Court



• Follow this link for details about permanent program downloading, installing and configuring.

Three Possible States for Virtual Court Participants

There are three states through which participants move in the Virtual Courtroom.

• "In the Lobby", only connected to the Conference Server: In this state, remote participants are connected to the Conference Server on the Internet and are waiting to be connected to the courtroom. Only authorized court staff can connect remote participants to the courtroom. Remote participants cannot connect themselves to the courtroom. This state is analogous to a person waiting in the lobby, outside the actual courtroom doors.
  
  
• "In the Gallery", connected to the Recorder, but not in Conference: In this state, remote participants have been connected to the courtroom, but are not yet in conference. Depending upon the configuration settings, remote participants in the Gallery may be able to hear active matters as they are dealt with by the court. But they cannot be heard by the court and are not being recorded. This state is analogous to a person being present in the courtroom gallery waiting for their matter to be called, but not otherwise participating in courtroom activities.
  
  
• "Conferencing and in the well of the court", connected to the Recorder and brought into Conference: In this state, remote participants have been brought into conference and have a recording channel. In this state, remote participants can hear and can be heard by the court and are being recorded. This state is entered when court staff brings a party into conference and the party is actively participating in the matter currently before the court.
  
  

Initiating a Virtual Court Conference with the Remote Conference Manager Window

Virtual Court conferences are initiated and managed at either the recording computer, or at a pre-authorized staff computer using the Windows version of the Virtual Court program. If the conference is to be recorded, then the Recorder program must have previously been started and recording must be activated. Once recording has begun, the operator can bring remote participants into conference.

The system also provides for conferences that are not recorded. For details about having a conference without recording, see the "Work as a Conference Manager" check box in the Virtual Court program's "Connection Profiles" settings.

To open the Remote Conference Window in the Recorder, click the Remote Conference Manager icon on the toolbar, as shown below.

The screen capture below shows an example of the Remote Conference Manager interface, with the main part of the window on the left and the Lobby Panel on the right.

The main part of the window shows those remote participants who are either in the Gallery or in conference. These participants can hear the audio, see the courtroom video, can speak to the court, and are being recorded into their own audio / video channels. From this window, you can move participants into conference, return participants to the Lobby, make notes, terminate connections, block video, move participants to private rooms, and perform other actions.

The Lobby Panel displays those remote participants who are in the Lobby and are not yet connected to the courtroom. These participants are not being recorded and they cannot see or hear any of the courtroom activities while they remain in the Lobby. From this Panel, you can move participants into the Gallery or the conference, search for docket numbers, assign/remove a preferred attribute, make notes and perform other actions.

In the example below:

• Bolander, Henderson, Milner, Morrison and Laurie White are in the Lobby. Bolander and Laurie White are on plain old dial telephones, as denoted by the (T) at the end of their names.
• Grant, Richards, Baxter and Morganstern have been brought into the conference, as indicated by the red recording icon before their names, and by the Status column. Note that Richards has self-muted her microphone.
• Smith and Betty White have been moved into the Gallery, and are in "Waiting" mode. They are not being recorded and cannot be heard by conferencing participants.

The operator may allow "Waiting" participants to hear the courtroom activities by using the "Enable listen" button on the main Window. Alternatively, participants may be placed into Listening mode by default when entering the Gallery by selecting the "Enable Listening as default for users moved to the gallery" check box in the Remote Conferencing settings of the Recorder.

Automatic Conference Bookmarks

The conference facility will automatically create bookmarks as participants begin and end conferencing, share their screen, and are muted.

An example of some of the automatic bookmarks is shown below.

Customizing the Conference Manager Window Display

The Remote Conference Manager Window, along with the associated columns, should be adjusted to best fit the monitor and accommodate local requirements.

The Lobby Panel can be toggled open and closed by clicking the Lobby button on the main part of the window

You can resize a column by selecting its boundary and dragging it to the width you want.

You can right-click on the Title rows to show or hide different columns, as shown below.

Using the Lobby Panel

When remote participants first logon to the system, they connect over the Internet to the Conference Server. At this point, they appear in the Lobby Panel of the Remote Conference Manager Window but they are not connected to the courtroom in any way.

An example of the Lobby Panel is shown below.

The Lobby panel includes the controls described below.

Docket Number Search

The Use a docket number to search field can be used to search for a specific docket. The drop-down list displays all of the unique docket / case numbers that have been specified by the remote participants as they logon. You can select any of these docket numbers and the Lobby display will show only those participants who have entered the selected docket number.

To display all the participants in the Lobby, select "display all parties".

Move to Gallery Control

The Move to Gallery control moves selected participants from the Lobby into the Gallery.

To move a participant into the Gallery:

1. Left-click on the participant you want to move. You can use Ctrl+Click or Shift+Click to select more than one participant.
2. Click Move to Gallery.

Move to Conference Control

The Move to Conference control moves selected participants from the Lobby directly into conference, without first being placed into the Gallery. When moved into conference, the participants will be heard by the courtroom and will be recorded.

To move a participant into Conference:

1. Left-click on the participant you want to move. You can use Ctrl+Click or Shift+Click to select more than one participant.
2. Click Move to Conference.

Set as Preferred Control

The Set as Preferred control assigns the "Preferred" attribute to selected participants. This is used to increase the operator awareness about certain participants. Preferred participants will always appear higher than non-Preferred participants in user lists on the Lobby and Remote Conference Manager Windows.

By selecting the Show only preferred check box, you can limit your display to only preferred participants.

Note: This control toggles between "Set as Preferred" and "Remove as Preferred", depending upon the current Preferred status of the selected user.

Preferred status stays with a participant across multiple court sessions and can be used for both Permanent and Temporary participants.

To change the preferred status of a participant:

1. Left-click on the participant you want to change. You can use Ctrl+Click or Shift+Click to select more than one participant.
2. Click Set as Preferred or Remove as Preferred, as appropriate.

Sending Text Messages to Participants in the Lobby

The operator may initiate text messaging with participants in the Lobby. For more information, refer to "Message Exchange Facility".

Other Actions for Lobby Participants

Right-clicking on a participant in the Lobby opens a menu as shown and described below. You can also use Ctrl+Click and Shift+Click to select multiple participants before your right click.

• Move to Gallery moves the selected participant to the Gallery. This is the same function as the button on the Lobby Panel.
  
  
• Terminate Connection terminates the connection to the Lobby for the selected participant and disconnects them from the conference server. In this case, the participant will no longer be seen in the Lobby until they log back onto the conference server.
  
  
• Remove as Preferred or Set as Preferred sets or removes the Preferred attribute from the selected participant. This is the same function as the button on the Lobby Panel. The function of this menu option changes depending upon the current Preferred status of the selected participant.
  
  
• Chime rings a chime on the selected participant's computer and presents a prompt to confirm their attention. The chime can be used to alert the remote party and make sure they are aware of impending actions. Note that when a participant is chimed, they can then send a text message to the Recorder application.
  
  
• Set Name allows you to change the name and or the docket / case number for the selected participant. Selecting this function causes the Window shown below to appear where you can update the participant's information.
  
  



• Make Note lets you create a brief note about the selected participant. These notes can be any short-term information that is useful to the court during the conference session. They are not saved after the participant leaves the session or in the recording file.
  
  Selecting this function causes the Window below to appear. You can enter a new note or select a previous note from the list.
  
  



• Properties opens diagnostic properties associated with the selected participant.
  
  

Using the Main Remote Conference Manager Window Functions

The controls on the Remote Conference Manager Window are shown and documented below.

Lobby Control

Clicking the Lobby control button opens or closes the Lobby panel, depending upon the panel's current status.

Extended Menu Functions

On the Remote Conference Manager Window, the Extended Menu Functions button is located directly to the right of the Lobby button. Clicking this button opens a menu of additional functions, as seen in the screen capture below.

Share Screen

This function lets you share the desktop screen with remote participants.

To share your screen:

1. Click Share Screen. A Window will open, as seen below.

2. Specify the portion of the screen to be shared.
3. Click Start Sharing.

Set Name for Private Rooms

This function lets you customize the names associated with the Private Rooms. These updated room names will appear on the automatic bookmarks that are created when participants are moved into private rooms.

To set the names of private rooms:

1. Click Set Name for Private Rooms. A Window will open, as seen below.

2. Specify the names for the Private Rooms.
3. Click OK.

Mute Local Channels

This function lets you mute/unmute the audio of any of the local microphones. Note: muting an audio channel using this facility only stops the audio from being sent to the remote participants. The audio of muted channels is still captured and recorded into the recording file.

To mute a local channel:

1. Click Mute Local Channels.
2. You can mute all local channels or select an individual channel to be muted.

In the screen capture below, the WI (Witness) audio channel is muted and that local microphone's audio is not sent to the remote participants.

You can unmute a channel by deselecting it or you can unmute all local channels.

Working with Participants in the Main Part of the Remote Conference Manager Window

Once participants have been moved from the Lobby into the main Remote Conference Manager Window, they are managed by the controls available on that Window. Only the controls that relate to the selected participant will be active.

To select a participant, left-click on the participant. You can use Ctrl+Click or Shift+Click to select more than one participant.

Start and Stop Conferencing Controls

The Start Conferencing control is used to move selected participants into conference. Conceptually, this moves participants from the courtroom gallery into the well of the court where they then become an active participant in the matter currently before the court. In the "Conferencing" state they are heard by members of the court and their audio is recorded.

The Stop Conferencing control is used to move selected participants out of the conference. When participants are moved out of the conference, they will be placed into either a waiting or listening state in the Gallery. To bring them back into conference, select them again and click Start Conferencing.

Return to Lobby Control

The Return to Lobby control removes selected participants from the conference or the Gallery and returns them to the Lobby. When they are returned to the Lobby, they can no longer be heard by the court and are no longer recorded.

Terminate Connection Control

The Terminate Connection control removes selected participants from the conference or the Gallery and disconnects them from the conference server. In this case, the participant will no longer be seen in the Lobby until they re-initiate their session by logging back onto the conference server.

Mute and Unmute Controls

The Mute control mutes the audio from the selected participants. When muted, the participant's audio cannot be heard by other parties and it is not recorded.

This control toggles between "Mute" and "unMute", depending upon the current status of the selected participant.

Also remember
• Participants can only be muted when they are in conference.
• A muted participant can still hear the other participants in the courtroom, and see other participant's video.

Enable Listen and Disable Listen Controls

The Enable Listen control enables listening mode for the participant. This control toggles between "Enable Listen" and "Disable Listen", depending upon the current status of the selected participant.

Chime Control

The Chime control rings a chime on the participant's computer and presents a prompt to confirm their attention. This control is the same as the right-click option in the Lobby Panel. The chime can be used to alert the remote party and make sure they are aware of impending actions.

Call Control

The Call control is used to initiate a connection with supported conferencing systems that are sometimes used by corrections facilities. The Call control will not show on the Window unless it is enabled in the "Provide SIP Call support" checkbox of the Remote Conferencing options dialog Window. SIP connections must be pre-configured. Contact your service provider for additional details.

Gesture Controls

The Gesture controls allow the operator to add gestures to the local video stream, as seen by the remote participants. Gestures include "Hand up", "Thumbs up" and "Thumbs down", all as seen in the screen capture below.

Other Actions for Remote Conference Manager Participants

Right-clicking on a participant in conference or in the Gallery opens a menu as seen in the screen capture below. You can also use Ctrl+Click and Shift+Click to select multiple participants before your right click.

The screen capture below has been edited to make all of the selection options active. During actual use, not all of the menu options will be active. Only the menu options applicable to the current participant state will be active.

Each of these functions is described below.

• Assign Audio Channel can be used to assign the recording channel into which the selected participant will be recorded. This assignment is available only if the conference with this participant has not yet started. Using this function overrides any previous channel assignment for that participant.
  
  
• Reset Audio Channel removes any recording channel assignment that is currently associated with the selected participant.
  
  
• Block Video blocks the video coming from the selected participant. This control toggles between "Block" and "unBlock", depending upon the current status of the selected participant. When a participant's video is blocked, it is not recorded and is not seen at the Recorder or by any of the other conference participants.
  
  
• Move to Private Room with Recording moves the selected participant to a private room where the audio in the private room continues to be recorded. Move to Private Room with Pause moves the selected participant to a private room where the private room is not recorded.
  
  In the screen capture below, the private rooms have been renamed to "Bennett", "Mundy" and "Smith" and the participant(s) can be moved into any of these three private rooms.
  
  
  

Once placed into a private room, participants can only be heard by other participants who have similarly been placed into the same private room. They are not heard by participants in another private room, or by others who remain in the main courtroom.

• Remove from Private Room removes the selected participant from the private room.
  
  
• Remove All from Private Room removes all the participants from the specified private room.
  
  
• Allow Move Between Rooms assigns to the participant the authority to move between the Private Rooms at will, without operator intervention. Note that this attribute stays with the participant across recording sessions.
  
  
• Start Listen Interpretation inserts selected participants into Listen to Simultaneous Interpretation mode. The Start Listen Interpretation function is only available if one of the participants has connected to the conference and specified that they will work as a simultaneous interpreter.
  
  Applying Start Listen Interpretation to computer participants causes the "Use Simultaneous Interpretation" control to become enabled on the participant's user interface. The Balance control will also become active and the participant can choose to hear more of the Interpreter (move the control to the right) or more of the courtroom (move the control to the left).
  
  Applying Start Listen Interpretation to plain old dial telephone participants allows them to predominantly hear the interpreter, along with a low volume of audio from the courtroom. Telephone users cannot change the balance level between the interpreter and the courtroom audio.
  
  
• Stop Listen Interpretation removes selected participants from Simultaneous Interpretation mode. The Stop Listen Interpretation function is only available if the selected participants have previously been placed into Simultaneous Interpretation mode.
  
  Applying Stop Listen Interpretation to computer participants to computer participants causes the "Use Simultaneous Interpretation" control and the Balance control to become disabled on the participant's user interface. The participant will only hear the general audio from the courtroom.
  
  Applying Stop Listen Interpretation to plain old dial telephone participants who have previously been placed into Simultaneous Interpretation mode disables the ability to hear the simultaneous interpretation and the participant will now only hear the general audio from the courtroom.
  
  
  
  
• Reset All Indicators resets and turns off the "hand-up", "thumbs-up" and "thumbs-down" gestures for all participants.
  
  
• Set Name allows for changing the name and or the docket / case number for the selected participant. Selecting this function causes the Window below to appear where you can enter the updated participant information.
  
  



• Make Note lets you create a brief note about this participant. These notes can be any short-term information that is useful to the court during the conference session. They are not saved after the participant leaves the session or in the recording file.
  
  Selecting this function causes the Window below to appear. You can enter a new note or select a previous note from the list.
  
  



• Properties opens a diagnostic properties Window associated with the selected participant.
  
  

Message Exchange Facility

The Message Exchange Facility allows the operator to exchange messages and files with remote participants. The operator may send messages to any remote participant but may send files only to remote participants who are in the Gallery or in Conference.

Participants who have been moved to the Gallery may initiate a message exchange with the operator. Participants in the Lobby may not initiate a message exchange, but the operator may initiate such an exchange by sending a message to, or chiming the participant.

The following is an example of the Message Exchange Facility.

To send a message to a remote participant:

1. In the Remote Conference Manager main window, select the participant to whom the message will be sent. You can use Ctrl+Click or Shift+Click to select more than one participant.
2. Type your message. For a multi-line message, use Ctrl+Enter to get each new line.
3. Click the Send Message button.

To send a file to a remote participant:

1. In the Remote Conference Manager main window, select the participant to whom the file will be sent. You can use Ctrl+Click or Shift+Click to select more than one participant.
2. Click the Send File button.
3. From the Windows Explorer dialog that opens, locate and select one or more files to be sent.
4. Click Open.

Primary Volume Control

The Primary volume control allows the operator to adjust the volume level of the remote participants which is sent to the audio output device configured as the "Primary playback device" for Remote Conferencing.

Event Log Facility

The Event Log control toggles the Event Log portion of the Window open and closed. The Event Log contains a technical history of the connections made during the conference session.

The Event Log is saved into the Recording file. It can later be accessed as follows: from the File Properties menu, select Advanced, and click the View Remote Conference Event Log button.

Working with Video Streams

By default, all of the video streams will appear in a single General Video Window. In many cases, the General Video Window will be moved into a large-screen monitor that can be seen by all of the parties in the courtroom.

Right-clicking on any individual stream within the General Video Window opens the right-click menu as shown and described below.

Video Preview of allows for the selection or deselection of video streams that appear in the General Video Window. Deselecting a stream removes the video for that stream from the Window. Reselecting the stream makes it appear again in the Window.

This control works the same as the video camera icon on the Recorder's toolbar.

Show This Stream in a Separate Video Window removes the right-clicked stream from the General Video Window and instead shows the stream in an isolated, separate video Window. You can move and resize the new window as required.

Show All Steams in Separate Video Windows removes all the streams from the General Video Window and instead shows them all in their own, isolated, separate Windows. You can move and resize these new windows as required.

Restore All Streams to the General Video Window closes all of the separate video Windows and restores all of the video streams to the General Video Window.

Optimize Window Size resizes the included video streams to 100% of their size to present the videos as best as possible.

Working with Video Streams in Separate Windows

When a video stream appears in a separate Window, a View drop-down menu becomes available. The menu controls are shown and described below.

Menu bar determines if the Menu bar at the top of the Window (with the View and Settings drop-down lists) will be displayed. Right-click anywhere at the top of the Window to restore the Menu bar.

Status bar determines if the Status bar at the bottom of the Window will be displayed.

Zoom resizes the video stream by selecting the zoom size for the stream.

Full Screen On allows for the current Window to become full screen on the selected monitor.

PTZ Control opens a PTZ control Window for supported PTZ cameras.

Load Position allows for the selection of pre-set PTZ camera positions, for supported cameras.

Preset Positions allows for the definition of PTZ pre-set camera positions, for supported cameras.

Use Joystick PTZ opens a Window whereby a PTZ camera joystick can be used to control a PTZ camera, for supported cameras.

Restore This Stream to the General Video Window closes this separate video Window and restores this stream to the General Video Window. .

Restore All Streams to the General Video Window closes all of the separate video Windows and restores all of the video streams to the General Video Window.

Close Window closes the selected video Window.

Hardware, Setup and Internet Connection Requirements for Running the Hybrid / Virtual Court

The court must address courtroom hardware, setup and Internet connection requirements to use the Hybrid / Virtual Courtroom. Follow this link for details about the courtroom hardware, setup and Internet connection requirements for using the Hybrid / Virtual Courtroom

PDF Version of this Page

A PDF Version of this page, along with documentation about creating links and Phone Codes may be obtained by following this link.

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