The AMUSE project has carried out experiments on the provision of interactive and distributive multimedia services to real residential users. The system analyses the relationship between interactive multimedia and the Internet, as well as the possibility of accessing them via different pieces of terminal equipment, from personal computers (PC) to set-top boxes, carefully considering the evolution of the latter towards network computing devices. These services have been demonstrated in field trials carried out in different islands, using an end to end ATM infrastructure (from terminal equipment to multimedia server), through various types of access networks.
%The main purpose of the project was the setting up and thereafter of field-trials, covering the provision of advanced multimedia services to real residential users through an end-to-end ATM infrastructure. The project made use of advanced solutions to assess a range of problems associated with the provision of these services, and carried out a number of related experiments on different islands, assessing both the service provision domain and the technological domain. The project performed demonstrations with a two-phase approach, where various access network alternatives and offered applications basically characterized each individual phase. Also, the Multimedia Technology Laboratory has developed an application called 'POLL' that will allow residential users to evaluate the content of the services by voting in an electronic poll-questionnaire mailed to each project co-ordinator to complete on behalf of the project consortium.