Multimedia communication systems : techniques, standards and networks

As networks converge and bandwidth availability increases, networked multimedia communications systems are becoming increasingly powerful and ubiquitous. Multimedia Communication Systems is a comprehensive guide to the theory, principles, and practical techniques associated with implementing these systems. Three of the field's leading researchers review today's key developments in multimedia communications, ranging from the latest multimedia architectures to the implications of Internet2 for advanced multimedia delivery. They cover every aspect of multimedia communications system development, emphasizing emerging standards, advanced processing techniques, and network/traffic management.

Preface.


Acknowledgments.


List of Acronyms.


1. Multimedia Communications.

Introduction. Multimedia Communication Model. Elements of Multimedia Systems. User Requirements. Network Requirements. Packet Transfer Concept. Multimedia Requirements and ATM Networks. Multimedia Terminals. Concluding Remarks.

2. Audio-Visual Integration.

Introduction. Media Interaction. Bimodality of Human Speech. Lip Reading. Speech-Driven Talking Heads. Lip Synchronization. Lip Tracking. Audio-to-Visual Mapping. Bimodal Person Verification. Joint Audio-Video Coding. Concluding Remarks.

3. Multimedia Processing in Communications.

Introduction. Digital Media. Signal-Processing Elements. Challenges of Multimedia Information Processing. Texture-Based Methods. Shape-Based Methods. Color-Based Methods. Perceptual Coding of Digital Audio Signals. Absolute Threshold of Hearing. Critical Band Frequency Analysis. Simultaneous Masking and the Spread of Masking. Temporal Masking. PE. Transform Audio Coders. Audio Subband Coders. Speech Coder Attributes. CD Audio Coding for Multimedia Applications. Image Coding. Video Coding. Watermarking. Organization, Storage and Retrieval Issues. Signal Processing for Networked Multimedia. NNs for Multimedia Processing. Multimedia Processors. Concluding Remarks.

4. Distributed Multimedia Systems.

Introduction. Main Features of a DMS. Resource Management of DMS. Networking. IP Networking. IP Multicast. Resource Reservation Protocol (RSVP). RTP. Performance Management. Fault Management. Configuration Management. Security Management. Accounting and Billing Management. Multimedia Operating Systems. CPU Management. Memory Management. I/O Management. File System Management. Distributed Multimedia Servers. Distributed Multimedia Applications. VoD. Telecooperation Infrastructure. Telecooperative Applications. Telemedicine. Basic Features of a Hypermedia System. The Web. Concluding Remarks.

5. Multimedia Communication Standards.

Introduction. MPEG Approach to Multimedia Standardization. MPEG-1 (Coding of Moving Pictures and Associated Audio). MPEG-2 (Generic Coding of Moving Pictures and Associated Audio). MPEG-2 Video-The Basics. MPEG-2 Video Syntax. MPEG-2 Video Scalability. MPEG-2 Video: Profiles and Levels. MPEG-4-Coding of Audiovisual Objects. Media_Objects. MPEG-4 Version 1. MPEG-4 Version_2. Extensions to MPEG-4 Beyond Version 2. Profiles in MPEG-4. Verification Testing: Checking MPEG's Performance. MPEG-4 Standardization Process. Requirements for MPEG-4. MPEG-4 Systems Architecture. Elementary Stream Management (ESM). Auxiliary Descriptors and Streams. Structuring Content by Grouping of Streams. Managing Content Complexity. Distributed Content-Handling Considerations. System Decoder Model (SDM) for ES Synchronization. MPEG-4 Systems BIFS. DMIF Computational Model. Shape-Coding Tools for MPEG-4 Natural Video. Motion Estimation and Compensation. Texture-Coding Tools. Multifunctional Coding. Sprite Coding. Scalability. Error Resilience. Relationship Between Natural and Synthetic Video Coding. Synthetic Images. Integration of Face Animation with Natural Video. FAPs. Face Model. Coding of FAPs. FIT. Integration of Face Animation and Text-to-Speech (TTS) Synthesis. BIFS for Facial Animation. 2D Mesh Coding. VO Tracking. 2D-Mesh Object Encoder/Decoder. MPEG-4 Natural Audio Coding. General Audio Coding (Advanced Audio Coding Based). Twin VQ. Speech Coding in MPEG-4 Audio. Scalability in MPEG-4 Natural Audio. Synthetic Aud