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Content archived on 2024-05-07

Mobile Multimedia Systems

Objective

The main objective of the project MObile MUltimedia SYstems (MOMUSYS) is to develop and validate the technical elements necessary to provide audio-visual functionalities for mobile multimedia systems. Such functionalities are being identified in the context of ISO MPEG-4 which will become the standard for coding of audio-visual information in multimedia systems. Most of these functionalities are insufficiently supported by the available or emerging standards. In Particular, the main objectives are:
To build a new Multimedia Communications System with full conversational possibilities, addressing all MPEG-4 functionalities;
To have Field Trials with 20 - 60 Real Terminals and real users for symmetric and asymmetric Multimedia over wireless networks (8 kbit/s - 2 Mbit/s); a part of these trials will have global coverage;
To be a platform for European work on MPEG-4.,
Role in development of the MPEG-4 requirements
First MPEG-4 terminals, hardware and software
Flexible source coding scheme for audio and video
Continuous development of the MPEG-4 Verification model
Efficient algorithms for SNHC
MSDL proposal
Clear view about user needs with respect to future MPEG-4 services
Connection of the MPEG- terminals to networks such as DECT, GSM and UMTS
Expected Impact
The trend to integrate compressed sound and video into multimedia systems requires new standards for storage and transmission of audio-visual data. Mobile Communications is a fast growing market, which will in future expand from mere voice services to integrated multimedia services. This requires the development of new technologies for the realisation of mobile multimedia terminals. The activities of MOMUSYS will be closely linked with the development of ISO MPEG-4. Thus MOMUSYS can be seen as a European initiative to push the development of standardisation mainly in MPEG-4, but also in the field of mobile multimedia communications (ITU-R TG 8/1, ETSI SMG 5).

Main contributions to the programme objectives:
Main deliverables
Leadership and essential contribution to the preparation of the MPEG4 standard
Contribution to the programme
Significantly contributed to providing the basis for a whole new chapter in the development of multimedia services.

Technical Approach
The new audio-visual functionalities that MPEG-4 requires of its coding schemes and systems layer (which include content manipulation, content scalability and content based access), must be achieved with algorithms that provide very efficient compression on the one hand and robustness against transmission errors on the other. To that purpose, new ways of communicating data and even coding methods between terminals must be developed, going away from simple syntax definitions to a more generic language. A partly world-wide field trial with real time Mobile Audio-Visual Terminals will demonstrate and test the solutions identified. To achieve this, requirements and evaluation procedures have to be defined. This will be done in collaboration with other ACTS projects, and with a close eye on international standardisation efforts, in particular those in MPEG-4.
Techniques to be developed include a generic and flexible data stream syntax, concepts and methods for content-based audio coding, and robust tools and algorithms for content-based video coding. The syntax must provide a robust interface to mobile transmission channels, data rates for the coded data streams must address the abilities of current (e.g. DECT) and future (UMTS) mobile networks. In order to realise the units that are needed for the field trials, hardware will rely as far as possible on available components, including hardware that was developed in the RACE MAVT project. Advanced techniques dealing with Syntactic-Natural Hybrid Coding (SNHC) will be investigated. Scalability of the tools to be developed, from very low bitrates to higher bitrates, is an important work item of MoMuSys.
Summary of Trial
Usage trials will start Spring '97, using a simple hardware set-up and a first set of algorithms. Participants of this first trial will be the partners of the project, connected via different available mobile and stationary networks. Finally, the fully developed terminals will be used in external field trials using the mobile infrastructure provided by the Finnish National Host.
Key Issues
Flexible Descriptive Language, advanced Coding Schemes
European Platform for MPEG 4 work
Usage Trials for Advanced Multimedia Communication for specific user groups
Coding synthetic data, integration of 2D and 3D environments
MPEG-4 / UMTS integration

Call for proposal

Data not available

Coordinator

Robert Bosch GmbH
EU contribution
No data
Address

31132 Hildesheim
Germany

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Total cost
No data

Participants (18)