CORDIS Archive

R2072: MAVT - The Mobile Audio-Visual Terminal

Workplan References:

T.807, T.811, T.813, T.817, T.820

Project Line:

PL3: Mobile Communications
PL4: Image Communications

Main Objectives

The key goals of MAVT are powerful video and audio coding schemes to transmit multimedia services in a mobile environment and implement them on a demonstrator. User requirements, network and channel-characteristics, service definitions and a general terminal architecture will be studied. MAVT will deliver future coding algorithms for low bitrate video (px8 kbit/s) and audio, and a futuristic terminal. Real time transmission of moving video in a DECT environment will be demonstrated as well as audio-visual data transmission in a UMTS environment by connecting the demonstrator to the testbeds of ATDMA and CODIT.

Another main goal of the MAVT project is to develop a joint European proposal for the MPEG-4 coding standard. MAVT will contribute to ETSI SMG 5 group by providing a reference model for mobile audio-visual data transmission.

Technical Approach

After DECT demonstrator integration and real-time field trials with mobile audio-visual transmission, UMTS test beds will be connected for transmission of moving video. Most important is the long term reference model as European input to ISO MPEG-4 in close liaison with COST 211ter.

Key Issues

Service definition and user requirements.
Investigation of network and channel characteristics.
Long and short term very low bitrate coding algorithms.
Channel error protection and System control.
Generic reference model for ISO MPEG 4.
Multimedia Transmission in DECT, GSM and UMTS.
Real-time demonstrator.

Achievements

The project was the first to start research into very low bitrate audio and video coding and transmission of audio-visual services via mobile networks. MAVT identified possible audio and video services for a mobile terminal, and defined the respective input video formats.

New algorithms were developed optimising low bitrate coding for video and audio coding delay, some based on current standards suitable for short term development of a demonstrator. These were proposed to the ITU SG15 LBC group as the first worldwide standard proposal for mobile videotelephony (H.32P/M). Other algorithms will be based on advanced coding techniques and contribute to future standards. Rate Compatible Punctured Convolutional (RCPC) codes were introduced into video coding. A flexible exchange between source and channel data rates has been analysed as well as combined source/channel coding methods..

After developing the p x 8 kbit/s source coding scheme and the low bitrate audio algorithm, MAVT concentrated on channels for mobile video transmission. A simulation of the transmission link was shown and the possibility of transmission of video via mobile channels was confirmed.

Expected Impact

Results will contribute to standardisation within ISO, ITU and ETSI. Improvement of existing and development of completely new coding schemes will permit introduction of new applications into existing DECT and GSM networks, supported by the results of the DECT demonstrator field trials. Connecting the MAVT demonstrator to the UMTS test beds will give first ideas about the resulting quality of multimedia applications in third generation mobile networks.

MAVT will provide a standard for communications and industrial applications as only then will it be feasible to design a multi-purpose terminal integrating communications with multimedia and computing facilities.

Participants

Robert Bosch * D
Ant Nachrichtentechnik D
CCETT F
Center Morphological Math F
Centro Studi e Laboratori Telecommunicazioni I
CNET F
Daimler Benz D
Ecole Polytechnique Federale Lausanne CH
Instituto Superior Tecnico P
ITIS F
Matra Communication F
Philips LEP F
PTT Netherlands Research NL
Queen Mary and Westfield College UK
Siemens D
Telefonica de Espana E
Thomson-CSF/LER F
Universitat Politecnica Catalunya E

*Contact: D Lappe Robert Bosch GmbH
Tel: +49 5121 492060 FV/SLH
Fax: +49 5121 492520 P.O. BOX 777777,
Email: lappe@hic334.decnet.bosch.de D-31132 Hildesheim, Germany

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