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Interactive Digital Multimedia Services
| Multimedia systems will soon support widespread integration of data, moving images and sound, irrespective of the application. The familiar but distinct television, computer and telephone networks will merge into a single web of communication links and services which will collect, distribute and exchange all forms of information, even to the remotest of places in Europe. |
Information processing and coding will not happen at the level of characters ad pixels. Instead technology will support the manipulation of information 'object', making it easy to incorporate multimedia in all forms of information transmission, presentation and storage. The way information is transported and presented can be adapted easily and fexibly to suit the characteristic of the transmission link and terminal equipment available to any given user. Multimedia technologies will also help end users and service providers to express themselves more easily. Requests for, and offers of, information will use tools and human interfaces which present them in multimedia form. Such user-friendy presentation and support software (such as 'intelligent agents'), together with systems for service brokerage and application management, will become impotant elements for unlocking the full potential of an Information Society. This will create those sought-after opportunities for growth, competitivness and employment.
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