An end 
station for a videoconference / 
multimedia conference is disclosed, where the end 
station requests, receives and displays multiple video streams. 
Call control messages request video streams with specified video policies. A static policy specifies a constant source video 
stream, e.g., a participant. A dynamic policy dynamically maps various source streams to a requested 
stream and shows, for example, the current speaker, or a round robin of participants. A 
network access device, e.g., a media switch or a video 
composition system, mediates between the multi-
stream end 
station and the core conference 
system. Multi-stream endpoints need not 
handle the complexity of directly receiving video according to a potentially wide variety of 
call control protocols, formats, and bit-rates. Multi-stream endpoints decentralize 
compositing video streams, which increases functional flexibility and reduces the need for centralized equipment.