KEY FRAME DISTRIBUTION IN VIDEO CONFERENCING

A system, apparatus, and method for relaying video information that is part of a multi-party video communication session having multiple endpoints. The server can receive multiple video information streams from multiple endpoints and re-transmit some or all of the video information streams to the endpoints with one or more of the video information steams identified as having active status and being decoded at high resolution at the endpoints, while transmitting key frames from video information streams not having active status. Upon switching active speaker status to a new video information stream, the endpoints, already having a key frame from the switched-to video information, can switch to decoding the new video information stream having active status at high resolution without delay.