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Content archived on 2024-06-10

Multimedia user interface for interactive services and tv

Objective

The main objective of this project is to study, develop and test an intelligent and comfortable user interface for interactive multi-media (TV) services for domestic customers. This user interface has to be easy to use for domestic applications, should support navigation and content retrieval for the variety of multimedia services offered, should be applicable to the level 1 gateway (multimedia network provider) and to the content server of the service provider, and should also support the envisaged multimedia terminals (TVs and PCs) for the domestic users.
Additionally the work has to identify the needs for appropriate standards and contribute to these standards in this area to support the evolution of open inter-operable multimedia networks.
Key Issues
easy-to-use and advanced user interface for residential multimedia applications
navigation and information retrieval support for multimedia end users
vocal user interface for navigation support of multimedia users
open standards for user - multimedia service interaction
support to run multimedia applications on both, PCs and TVs
simple API for the content provider and the service broker
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Main contributions to the programme objectives:
Main deliverables
The MUSIST Project has developed a user interface for retrieval and presentation of multimedia in a residential environment. The solutions span a wide range of multimedia home platform prototypes, applications and methods. The hardware platform development has been used for a multimedia TV set.
Contribution to the programme
The guidelines for user interface design developed in this project have been widely approved and are used and exploited by the partners for their further work.
Technical Approach
The technical basis for the projects work are the emerging standards of the DAVIC and also of the DVB group. The public interest in internet services based on HTML and Java has broadened the scope of multimedia exchange formats considered by MUSIST. After finishing the implementation of an MHEG-5 engine the project is focussing the technical work on an open SW architecture providing the means to process a variety of content exchange formats. To provide this improved user interface and navigation support these tasks have to be tackled:
A standardized client server communication between end user terminal and multimedia server will support the independence between the consumer terminals and the multimedia server.
Client server communication and user interface for both user terminal types:TV or PC.
General Tasks
Study and modelling of the user needs and preferences in a residential environment.
Investigation, simulation and implementation of innovative dialogue and navigation concepts.
Use of metaphors based on every day experience for the design of user interface and navigation
Definition of TE requirements in line with the ongoing standardization activities (ETSI, ITU-T, DAVIC).
Design of TE components according to user interface architecture)
Development or adaptation of TE conforming to the requirements of user interface and navigation support
Evaluation of the results and set up of in co-operation with users,service providers and national hosts.
Standardisation contributions and proposition of a style guide for user interfaces
Evaluation of the acceptability of a multi-modal (graphical and vocal) user interface in a residential environment by a significant field experiment
Contribution to Validation and enhancement of the MHEG5 standard based on the implementation and test of the multi-modal user interface
Summary of Trial
The innovative user interfaces will be simulated and evaluated using a lab model in a first step and implemented using the national hosts for demonstration and evaluation purposes in a second step. The user interfaces will be based on the requirements of the national hosts, the Tuscany MAN in Italy and the German national subhost Infocity. The vocal user interface will be evaluated in a field trial in France. The integration of the local user interface and the user interface of the service will be developed in close co-operation with service providers, national host operators, and users.

Call for proposal

Data not available

Coordinator

Alcatel SEL AG
EU contribution
No data
Address
Lorenzstr. 10
70435 Stuttgart
Germany

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Total cost
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Participants (10)